Bunny Bag For Top Dog Dies

Welcome to my weekly Friday post for Top Dog Dies.  Today, I am sharing a sweet little muslin bag that I decorated using some of my new Top Dog Dies die-cuts.  The muslin bag is from the Kraft Outlet, and believe it or not, they cost just $0.35 - what a bargain!  They're SO cute and easy to decorate.  I used a small piece of burlap on the front, put a double heart border at the top that was cut from wool felt, a seam binding bow, some baker's twine, a cute pink and cream striped wooden button, a Maya Road green leaf stick pin, and a tea-stained hang tag with a Melisssa Frances rub-on Easter sentiment (some bunny loves you).  Cute!

The ADORABLE little bunny was cut from wool felt from Jennifer Elliot of Shoppe 3130 using the Top Dog Dies adorable new Bunny & Eggs Die Set, and his eyes are tiny buttons with DMC floss stitched inside them.  His whiskers were made from little pieces of the burlap.  I'm a real sucker for a guy with whiskers!!  He is adorned (bottom right) with sweet little flowers from the Top Dog Dies lovely little Wildflower Die which I cut down to the tiny little buds, and then placed pearl accent stickers in the center of each.  That's one thing about die-cuts, and most especially Top Dog's Die Cuts, you can really get creative with them, and it's SO much fun!

I'm telling you, very honestly, this little guy WANTS to hop right on it to YOUR craft room, and he can be yours by stopping by Top Dog Dies and ordering him today.  Special offers are always found on the Top Dog Dies Blog.  You will definitely find amazing die-cuts at Top Dog Dies, and you will just LOVE how precisely they cut through paper, wool felt, and just about anything.  They're honestly AWESOME!!

I'm sharing this little project in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes With Buttons - How cute is that pink and cream striped wooden button?  I just LOVE it!

My Craft Spot by Kimberly - Challenge #130 - Anything Goes

I'm so delighted that you've stopped by today, and I thank you for visiting.  Be sure to leave me a comment, and I will do the same for you.  I hope you're having a very HOPPY day!

God bless you all,

Karen
for Top Dog Dies

Paper Sweeties Visits Word Art Wednesday

More than anything else in this world, I always want to give my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, ALL the praise, honor and glory for the blessings in my life.  I feel SO incredibly blessed that He allows me to maintain this little blog where I can share my handiwork with my crafty friends.  And.....in addition to this blog, I was blessed again by the addition of the challenge blog, Word Art Wednesday, that I was able to take over in March, 2012.  It's hard to believe that I've had the wonderful opportunity to serve God for two years now through this wonderful (and quite fun) challenge blog.  I praise God for all He has provided - our participants, our sponsors, our Design Team, the lovely and talented people I've met through this process, and SO many tender mercies along the way.  There have, no doubt, been a few bumps here and there along the way; but God has provided exceeding abundantly at every turn, and I am ever grateful to Him for this HUGE blessing in my life.

This week at Word Art Wednesday, we have two more amazing sponsors.  We have the very fun and popular digi company, Bugaboo Stamps, where you can find LOADS of adorable images for every occasion, and we also have Paper Sweeties stamps.  Paper Sweeties is owned and operated by an on-line friend of mine, and they have the sweetest little paper doll stamps with matching clothing and accessories, sentiments, borders, images, seam binding, rusty bells, and more.....sweet sweet goodies that will help you to create the most adorable cards and projects. I encourage you to check out both of these lovely shops.

My card was made using some October Afternoon patterned papers, some vintage sheet music, a Martha Stewart heart border punch, brown and pink baker's twine, an October Afternoon border (triangles), and I also stamped the Checkerboard Pattern (one of several border patterns) from Paper Sweeties' Borders Stamp Set. 

This close-up photo gives you a better view of how I used the Border Stamp Set.  I actually stamped it twice, ran the brown and pink baker's twine in between the two stamped images, and then laid the October Afternoon triangles cut-out over that.  The scripture is printed onto Buff Ivory Cardstock and inked, then raised up with double-sided foam tape.  And, being totally honest with you all, the only reason my card isn't machine stitched this time is because I ran out of cream thread and was too lazy to run to WalMart today.  (just being honest, friends)

I'm sharing my scripture card in the following challenge:

Faith, Hope and Love Scripture Challenge Blog - Challenge #4 - Use Bible scripture on your card.   I used the word art from Isaiah 26:3

Mark's Finest Papers Simple Salutations Challenge - Challenge #90 - Elegant Card - I consider this elegant since I used vintage sheet music and a soft sweet seam binding bow.  I stamped the checkerboard border twice at the top of my card, and the sentiment is scripture.  Super fun challenge for me!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

My Cup Runneth Over,

Karen

Color Me Beautiful

Happy Monday!  It's a brand new week, and time for more fun challenges.  Color challenges are always a lot of fun because they allow everyone to interpret the inspiration in their own way.  For this week's fun new :color Challenge" over at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog, I really enjoyed working with these fabulous colors, and I chose to use polka dots to represent the bubbles in the inspiration photo.

Karen Letchworth For The Kraft Journal

My card began with a Large Lunch Bag Kraft Notecard, and to that, I attached some patterned papers to coordinate with the beautiful challenge colors.  I machine stitched the edges (as I almost always do), and inked everything.  Next, I took a Mini Kraft Merchandise Bag and covered the bottom of that in patterned paper as well.  I decorated it with a few Kraft Outlet goodies including a Tim Holtz Journaling Ticket, two Tim Holtz Adage Tickets, and into the little pocket I tucked a hand-made tag that was created by using a combination of a Small Grungy Prim Tag and Lunch Bag Kraft Cardstock.  It's tied with a length of Brown Baker's Twine.  Finally, I added a couple of sequins and mini pearl stickers, and then created a seam binding bow that also includes Brown Baker's Twine, a button, and Rose Petal Cupcake Hand-Stained Bias Tape.  SO many great products at the Kraft Outlet, and the price is always right too.  And don't forget to stop by and play along in our Color Challenge this week at the The Kraft Journal.

I'm sharing this card in the following challenges this week:

Little Scrap Pieces Blog - Saturday Show It Off Linky Party - I'm sure that Karen would LOVE to have you all stop by and play along.  You will have the chance to win some of her lovely hand-stained seam binding.

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Blog - Challenge #253 - Garden Inspiration Cupcake Photo

May God bless you this week, and always!

Happy crafting,
Karen

Top Dog Dies-Repurpose and Reuse

Hello, my sweet bloggy friends!  I hope that you're all doing well, and having a great (and creative) week.  I am posting today in correlation with a fun blog post over at the Top Dog Dies Blog that I created to share some great tips on repurposing and reusing the plastic packaging that you get when you purchase many of the popular supplies we all buy.

Well, have you ever wondered what to do with all the great plastic packaging from the embellishments you buy?  You hate to throw them away, but what can be done with them?  Well, here are a couple of ideas for some great ways to re-purpose those packaging items using some of Top Dog Dies to add sweet accents.

This first project was made from the plastic packaging from Tim Holtz Ruler Ribbon.  You simply use the cardboard backing as a template, and cover both sides of it with patterned paper.  One package of Tic-Tacs will fit perfectly in the package.  Then, just add a few embellishments.  This one uses stickers, seam binding, a button, and Top Dog Dies Madison Doily Die.  This makes a great little project for gift-giving, and many of the supplies you buy come in plastic packaging very similar to this.

This second project was made from the plastic bag from a Foo-Fa-La Bag-O-Buttons.  This little bag perfectly holds two travel size lotions or body sprays, and is another wonderful gift-giving idea.  This project was embellished with a small piece of canvas, a seam binding bow with button, some chipboard letters, and the beautiful new Top Dog Dies Butterfly Die Set.

Don't throw away all those wonderful packaging items that come with your embellishments.  Just grab some Top Dog Dies, a few of your favorite supplies, and make something beautiful!

I'm sharing this second project in the following challenge:

Classy Cards 'N Such Blog - Challenge #24 - Flutterbys - I used the butterfly die-cut and the seam binding (as found at Classy Cards 'N Such - they have LOTS of great products).

Thanks for stopping by to say hello and to get some ideas, and have a blessed week!

Karen

Scripture Bag

Hello friends!  I hope that you're all having a wonderful week so far.  I know that I have had a great week, and I praise God for all the blessings in my life.  Even for the simplest little things in life, I try to be ever grateful because the Lord is just SO GOOD to me.  Week after week, I am so inspired by the many lovely cards and projects you all make and share.  One really cute idea that sparked my interest a few weeks ago was a sweet little bag made by my Kraft Journal Co-Designer, Debbie Marcinkiewicz.  She made a similar bag to this one, and it really inspired me.  I always make sure that when I am using someone else's original idea, that I give them credit for the original design.  And with that said, THANK YOU DEBBIE for inspiring me on this little project.

The bag is actually a Cotton Drawstring Bag from the Kraft Outlet.  I tied some rusty bells to the ends of the strings, and the flower on the front is a Making Memories foam stamp.  I covered the stamp in two shades of pink acrylic paint and added a strip of washi tape to the bottom of the bag.  I adhered my scripture tag using Pink Baker's Twine and a Maya Road leaf stick pin.  I put some little candies in the bag.  It's really a simple project, and these cute little Cotton Drawstring Bags cost just $0.35 each.  That makes em' even cuter!!!   The Kraft Outlet has LOTS of great bargains and a wide variety of gorgeous goodies.  Treat yourself today, or stop by and play along in our "Tag Challenge" this week for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate.

I'm sharing my little Scripture Bag in the following:

Faith, Hope and Love Challenge Blog - Scripture Challenge #3 - My project uses the free word art available this week at Word Art Wednesday, and is from Psalm 17:15

City Crafter Challenge Blog - Challenge #203 - Spring In The Garden - I was inspired by the beautiful inspiration photo - the lovely flowers (my stamped image and the floral washi tape) and the leaves (my green leaf stick pin).  BEAUTIFUL inspiration photo to welcome Spring!

Mark's Finest Papers - Color Challenge #15 - Spring Colors - I used Spring theme (flowers and leaves) and my stamped image is the flower on front of the bag.

My Craft Spot by Kimberly - Challenge #129 - Pinterest Inspired Challenge - Spring Palette - Beautiful pinks and creams as we welcome Spring!

You are all welcome to stop by Word Art Wednesday and pick up this beautiful piece of scripture/word art and play along in our challenge this week.  And if you use scripture on your project, you can also enter it in the Faith, Hope and Love challenge I mentioned above.  It's always a great time to create a project using God's precious Word!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week!

Karen

Big Winners from Top Dog Dies Blog Hop

For those of you who hopped along and participated in last week's big Spring Blog Hop with Top Dog Dies and Echo Park Papers, today is the big day when we announce all the lucky winners.  There was a winner from every single Top Dog Dies Design Team Member's blog, as well as a winner from each Echo Park Papers Design Team Member's blog.  That's a lot of prizes!  And the good news is, we will be doing another blog hop soon, so stay tuned for details.  Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer.  The lucky winner of the Bunny & Eggs Die Set from my blog is:  #180 - Kathleen N.

And the winner of the antique floral frog I gave away for becoming (or being) a follower of my blog and leaving a comment on that post is:  Karen Ladd

Congratulations, ladies!  For the Top Dog Dies Bunny & Eggs Die Set, you will be contacted by someone from Top Dog Dies to arrange for your prize (check your email).  For the floral frog, I need you  to email me your mailing address and I will get it to you right away.  I will be having another give-away here on my blog with the next Top Dog Dies blog hop.

This bunny with his ear cut off is an idea that I got from the talented Amy Tsuruta of the Top Dog Dies Design Team.  I thought it was so cute and so clever since, after all, the first thing we do to our poor little chocolate bunnies on Easter morning is to bite off his ear, right?  I used the Bunny & Eggs Die Set as well as the Madison Doily Die.  The papers and letter stickers are from Echo Park, and I did some machine stitching, added a few lengths of teal baker's twine, and some moving "googly" eyes.

I want to thank you for stopping by to check this post to see if you were a winner in the blog hop.  If you didn't win anything this time, please don't be discouraged.  There will be several more awesome blog hops in the weeks and months to come, and we're teaming up with some really incredible companies.  You won't want to miss a thing.  You can always find out what's new at Top Dog Dies by visiting our blog or checking out our Facebook page.

Have a great week, and happy crafting!

Karen

Tag Ideas From The Kraft Journal

Hello, my crafty friends!  I'm posting today to share some great Tag Ideas with you all as part of The Kraft Journal's Watch Us Wednesday segment.  There's a complete tutorial on the Kraft Journal Blog that gives you several great ideas for working with tags, as well as links for several of the AWESOME tags you can find at the Kraft Outlet.  Tags are a great addition to tuck inside all the lovely cards you create.  When someone opens a card, and finds a matching tag inside of it, that's like icing on the cake!  They can use the tag as a bookmark, or you can put a small magnet on the back side of it, and the recipient can place it on their fridge so that they will think of you each and every time they see it.  There is no limit to all the great things you can do with tags.  In addition to the tutorial shown today over at The Kraft Journal, here are three more great ideas for making and using tags.

This first picture shows you a bunch of scraps.  We all have LOTS of scraps in our craft rooms.  Every time we make a card, there are sweet little bits of paper left over.  DON'T throw them away.  Make a tag (or two) with them.  Using a Grungy Prim Shipping Tag, I simply cut a few small strips of this patterned paper, pieced them together, and threw on a matching stitcker.  Then, I machine stitched them together, and added a Vintage Winter White Hand-Stained Bias Tape bow.  Easy Peasy!

OK, so next....I have the VERY popular Chalkboard Technique to share with you all.  This fun new trend can be seen almost everywhere these days.  There are both acrylic stamps and digital images available for you out there to create the popular chalkboard technique. And, by using some of the  Kraft Outlet's ADORABLE Blackboard Tags, this technique quickly becomes SO easy and fun.

This project is a lot of fun, and can obviously be used for creating cards as well as tags.  I just grabbed the Blackboard Tags, some white chalk ink, my acrylic stamp, and I got to work.  BAM!  There you go - a cute chalkboard tag.  The Kraft Outlet makes it simple!

And, finally.....for my last project, I used several different styles of the washi tape, and a Grungy Prim Shipping Tag, that's it!  Check it out:

It doesn't get much simpler than that, friends.  I ran the washi tape up and down the Shipping Tag.

I retied the original string that comes with the Grungy Prim Shipping Tag, as well as a General Store Postage Stamp Sticker (5 cents).  How simple is that?  When I saw that anyone can do this, I mean really.....ANYONE!  Of course, you can get a lot more detailed if you choose.  I just really wanted to show you all how simple it CAN be when you need it to be.  Making matching cards and tags is just SO sweet.

I hope these projects have been fun and useful for you all.  Once again, I'd like to remind you to check out the complete tutorial over at The Kraft Journal today.  And....don't forget about our Tag Challenge this week where you can enter all  your sweet tags for the chance to win a $15 gift certificate to our amazing store - The Kraft Outlet.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a VERY blessed week!

Karen

Tag, You're It! The Kraft Journal

Well, if you haven't already guess from my blog post, YES - this week's fun new theme over at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog is a "Tag Challenge".  Making tags is SO much fun, and in fact, I will be sharing an extensive Tag Tutorial on Wednesday for The Kraft Journal so I really hope that you will stop by again on Wednesday for that.  I have three fun, easy and creative tag projects that I'll be sharing with you on the blog, and then two additional tag projects that I will be sharing here on my blog.  That's a total of FIVE great tag projects to get your creative juices flowing, and we're really hoping that will get you fired up to stop by and play along in our Tag Challenge this week.

Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Outlet

This tag project was literally whipped up in about ten minutes, and I'm not even kidding.  I made it the other evening at 6:00 PM, and I was quickly losing daylight as I created it.  So, I kept pushing myself to work quickly so that I would complete it in time to take my photos before the sun went down, and I did it!  I stamped the Paper Sweeties Emma paper doll and her clothes, and cut them out.  Then, I decorated a Small Glassine Bag with some scraps of patterned papers that were sitting on my work table, and a few bits of adorable Pink & White Stripe Washi Tape, placing Emma on top of that.  Next, using my handy dandy Bone Folder Tool, I applied a Melissa Frances rub-on sentiment to the top of the Small Glassine Bag and then, I tucked a Grungy Prim Shipping Tag tied with Pink Baker's Twine into the Small Glassine Bag.  That's it!

I warmly invite you to stop by the Kraft Journal Challenge Blog to share with us ANY tag project that uses either any type of kraft paper, or any product(s) currently sold at the Kraft Outlet and you will be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to the AMAZING shop.  This is a great challenge, and we would really love to have you join us!

I'm sharing my little tag project in the following:

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - For Mother or a Special Girl

Little Scrap Pieces Challenge - Show It Off Saturday - Anything Goes Linky Party

Paper Sweeties - Challenge #17 - March Challenge - Polka Dots and Inspiration Photo

Thank you so very much for stopping by to say hello today.  I am always SO blessed by your visits, and really appreciate the kind and encouraging messages you leave me.  It means so much to have such wonderful and support friends in the blogging community, and I appreciate you all SO much.  Have a great week, and thanks again for visiting!

Karen

Our Little Girl

We have some good family friends who just had their second child; a precious healthy little baby boy.  He has an older sister, Bailey, who is 3 years old.  She's been a little bit jealous since her baby brother, John, came home this week.  So, Bailey's Mommy asked me to make a special card just for her.  They bought her a special gift to go along with it.  They want to remind her that she will always be their very special little baby girl; but that she is also growing up into a wonderful big sister.  I know that this is one of those cards that she will most likely save for most of her life, so I wanted to make it really special.  I was inspired by a card that the talented Melissa Phillips had made and had published in the August, 2012 edition of CARDS Magazine (page 127).  My card is quite different from Meli's, but it does have some of the elements; and the general idea was hers.  I always like to give credit where credit is due.

The patterned papers, brads and stickers are Crate Paper Emma's Paperie, and the journalling card is from October Afternoon.  I used a Papertrey Ink heart die-cut, a Maya Road house and heart paperclip, some recollections flowers, seam binding from the Kraft Outlet, machine stitching and a Melissa Frances rub-on.  I also made a little pocket behind the patterned papers for her to tuck a note to Bailey inside.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog - Simon Says Mother's Day or For A Special Girl - You can read the story above.  This is DEFINITELY for a very special girl.

Crafty Hands Challenge Blog - Challenge #10 - Buttons & Bows - You will seldom find me making a card that DOESN'T use buttons and bows.  I'm just that kind of girly girl!

Crafty Ribbons Challenge Blog - Challenge #80 - Use Ribbon - I used luscious beautiful hand-stained seam binding as well as Prima lace

Eileen Hull Blog - Art With Heart Challenge:  New Beginnings - This card (as explained in the first paragraph of my post) is for a brand new, first-time Big Sister, and is all about her "New Beginning" in her role as a Big Sister.  I'm blessed to help her celebrate it, and VERY excited to learn about Eileen Hull and all her fabulous products.  Not to mention, my card (as explained above) was inspired by Melissa Phillips, who is on Eileen's fabulous new Inspiration Team.

Cardz TV Challenge Blog - Challenge #3 - New Baby

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by today to say hello and take a quick peek at my "Special Little Girl" card.  I appreciate your comments, and I thank you for visiting.  Have a wonderful day, my creative friends.

Be creative and count your blessings every day,

Karen

Hello There From Top Dog Dies

Well, if you haven't guessed by now, Fridays are the day of the week that I chose to make my posts for Top Dog Dies.  The other talented members of the Top Dog Dies Design Team post on different days, and you can always see their lovely creations on the Top Dog Dies Blog.  This is also a great place to find out what's new, and learn about upcoming events such as blog hops, give-aways and discounts.

For today's post, I created a card using more of the lovely Echo Park Papers we were given.  I cut the shape of this card using the new Top Dogs Signature Antique Die which is great for cards and mini albums.  Next, I cut out the Top Dogs Madison Doily Die, cut it in half, and placed that on the bottom of the card where I adhered my sentiment which is a sticker from the Echo Park Papers Splendid Sunshine line.  Next, as you can see, I used the Top Dog Butterfly Die Set to cut the base of the butterfly out of patterned paper, and the wings out of a shimmery paper.  I sprayed the wings with adhesive spray and sprinkled them with ultra-fine glitter to make them really sparkle and catch the light.  I put some gem stickers on the body of the butterfly to add even more bling.

This close-up of the Butterfly Die-Cut really shows how lovely it is, and how the wings stand out beautifully.  The same is true of the Madison Doily Die, and I tend to use this one the most.  It's perfect for placing under the focal point of your cards or scrapbook layouts, and is really a sweet and versatile "must-have" die-cut.

Crafty Little Fairies Challenge Blog - "Things With Wings" Challenge

I hope you've enjoyed today's post, and I thank you so much for stopping by to say hello.

God bless you,
Karen

He Makes All Things Beautiful

Let's be perfectly honest.....we all want things to happen according to our own time-line.  When we need or want something, we want it NOW.  But, we're so much happier and so much better off when we are able to realize that God has everything under control, and that He's always busy taking caring of things.  And we will see the results and get all our answers, IN HIS TIME.

Ecclesiastes 3:11(a) says, "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time".  I know that I have certainly been blessed by this verse.  It takes time and spiritual maturity to accept this truth, however.  When we learn to wait on God, and always trust that He has our best interest at heart, we will experience a peace that passes understanding.  God really does have it ALL under control.  Just sit back, and trust Him.  He makes all things beautiful in His time!

I'm sharing my card in Hazel's challenge here:
Crafy Hazelnut's March Patterned Paper Challenge - I used some older Making Memories Chloe's Closet patterned papers and embellishments.

DLArt Thankful Thursday - Challenge #128 - Sentiment with at Least 5 Words - I used a Bible verse.

This beautiful piece of word art is available for free on the Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog.  You are welcome to stop by and share with us in this week's challenge up to five (5) projects.  Our challenges are always Anything Goes as long as you follow our Challenge Rules.  We have THREE amazing prizes this week - we hope you will stop by and check it out.  We would LOVE to have you play along with us this week.

Thanks so much for stopping by to say hello, and may God bless you this week.

Karen

Top Dog Dies and Echo Park Blog Hop

Today is the first day of a super fun Blog Hop that combines two great companies - Top Dog Dies and Echo Park Papers, and you are all in for a real treat!  Not only will you get to see both company's new releases and get lots of great inspiration with each; but you will also have the opportunity to win some amazing prizes.  You should have arrived here from Renee Robbins' lovely blog.

Here are the GIVEAWAY details:  One winner will be selected from each Echo Park Paper blog to receive an Echo Park Paper Collection Kit of their choosing.  Top Dog Dies will also be giving away one of their adorable new Top Dog Bunny & Eggs Die-Cut Set on each Top Dog DT Member's blog - including mine!  All comments/entries will be due by midnight MDT on Sunday, March 16, to qualify for the drawings.  The winners will be announced on each DT Members' blogs on Wednesday, March 19, so be sure to check back to see if you're a winner.  You will enter the Echo Park give-aways by visiting those stops on the hop, and to enter the Top Dog Dies contest, use this RaffleCopter Widget (you will find one one every DT Member's blog):

a Rafflecopter giveaway Echo Park has generously given the Design Team Members at Top Dog Dies some of their AWESOME products to work with in combination with out newest release of amazing die-cuts.  We were each given one of Echo Park's newest releases called Splendid Sunshine, and it is absolutely DELIGHTFUL!  There are gorgeous double-sided patterned papers, sticker sheets, journaling cards and more.  I was overwhelmed, and wished I could have used every single adorable little piece on my project for this hop.  So, I decided to create a mini album so that I'd have lots of pages where I could display as much as possible.

This (above) is the mini album cover.  I started my project by cutting three pages using the awesome and super versatile Signature Antique Die.  This base is flat on one edge, which makes it perfect for binding.  I used my Zutter to bind the album.  I covered my album cover with the gorgeous Cheerful Cherries patterned paper from the Splendid Sunshine line.  To that, I added a journaling card from theJournaling Cards Page, and also added a few stickers from the adorable Element Stickers Sheet.  In addition to using the Signature Antique Die for the base of the cover page, I also used the super sweet Wildflower Die and, using wool felt, I cut out the little flowers in pink, yellow and navy blue with a mini pearl in the center of each.  Every single sticker on this sheet is just SO incredibly adorable, I just had to take a close-up of one of them just so you can see how sweet they are.  Look at this!

For my next page (below), I chose to use the Terrific Triangles patterned paper.  As I mentioned, each sheet is double-sided and both sides are SO cute.  The back side of this one was a small polka dot, and it made a nice photo mat.  I embellished this page using the Enjoy Life sentiment sticker, the cherries border, and a floral sticker attached to a mini clothespin from the Element Stickers Page.  I also used the sweet new Top Dog Dies Easter Basket & Eggs Die.  This adorable new die comes with an adorable little egg so you can fill your basket with eggs.  How cute is that?   It coordinates perfectly with our new Top Dogs Bunny & Eggs Die-Cut that I showcased last Friday.

Next is page 3, and more of Echo Park's delicious Splendid Sunshine line.  This page showcases the Sunny Stripe patterned paper, which I used for the background, as well as to cut the gorgeous new Bella Doily Die.  I only used about half of the Bella Doily Die, but this GORGEOUS doily die can be used in so many different ways.  It's perfect for putting that special accent under your sentiment or focal point to really make it stand out.  I also used another sticker (Life Is Better With You) which I hot glued to a small piece of a polka dot paper straw and wrapped with baker's twine.  I accented the Bella Doily Die with a bit of washi tape that I machine stitched to the page.

Now, here we are at page 4 of this darling little mini album.  In the photo below, you will see more of the sweet Echo Park Papers, another Journaling Card, a cute sticker sentiment, and some sweet coordinating washi tape (from Michael's) that is machine stitched to the page.  This page really showcases the GORGEOUS shape of the Top Dogs Signature Antique Die-Cut.  It's such an awesome die-cut, and makes creating mini albums SO easy and so much fun!  Top Dog Dies has several great base dies like this one, in many different shapes, that you can combine to make amazing mini albums.

And finally, my last page of the mini album.  This one uses the Flitter Flutter patterned paper to cover the base, and the reverse side of the same piece to cut this GORGEOUS butterfly using Top Dog's beautiful new Butterfly Die-Cut Set.  This two-piece set with the whole butterfly and the additional wings really allows you to create a lovely butterfly who looks like it's ready to fly right off your page and give incredible dimension.  And these amazing die-cuts cut so clean and perfect every time because they are high-quality - whether you're using paper, wool felt, canvas, dress patterns, material, or pretty much anything.   They are amazing, and you will just LOVE them.  I feel so blessed to be able to create with them.  They're just awesome!

Here's the Blog Hop line-up in case you get lost along the way:

Top Dog Dies

Echo Park Paper

Ashley Horton

Corri Garza

Holly Gagnon

Tania Willis

Aly Dosdall

Lisa Swift

Amy Wanford

Amy Tsuruta

Giovana Smith

Katie Brooks

Renee Robbins

Karen Letchworth - That's Me!

Wendy Sue Anderson

Stacey Schafer

Nicole Picadura

EXTRA PRIZE:  For one additional opportunity to win during this blog hop, I am giving away an antique floral frog to one lucky person.  Just become a follower of my blog (if you're not already) and leave a comment.  I will announce this winner on the same date that the other winners are announced.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week!

Thanks for "hopping along" with us!
My Cup Runneth Over,

Karen

Lucky Green at The Kraft Journal

Hello, friends!  Welcome to my blog today.  I will have two posts today; this one for the new "Lucky Green" at The Kraft Journal, and one for the Echo Park and Top Dog Dies Blog Hop.  I'm so glad to have you stop by, and I hope that you will check out both posts. 

Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal

For this week's "Lucky Green" Challenge, I wanted to share some of my favorite "yummy treats". When I thinks green, some of the yummy treats that quickly come to my mind include Green Apple Caramel Covered Suckers and Mint Green Tea Hand-Stained Bias Tape.  They're both SUPER YUMMY! I started this quick and easy project with a Small Kraft Coffee Bag With Window and filled it with my favorite green treat which are Green Apple Caramel Covered Suckers (FYI....you can find them at Dollar Tree). I closed the Kraft Coffee Bag and ran two lengths of Green Baker's Twine around the bag and tied them in a knot, and then a bow.

Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal

Next, I took a Canvas Triangle (which, by the way, are now on sale for $1.50 for a set of 3) and to that, I added a luscious bow made of Mint Green Tea Hand-Stained Bias Tape, Vintage Winter White Hand-Stained Bias Tape, and the Green Baker's Twine.  Next, I took a Round Metal Edged Grungy Prim Tag and, using my handy Bone Folder Tool, applied a Melissa Francis rub-on St. Patrick's Day sentiment.  This project literally took me about three minutes to complete.  The amazing and versatile supplies found at the Kraft Outlet make your crafting projects fun and easy.

I'm sharing my lovely St. Patrick's Day treat project in the following:

Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday Challenge - I just LOVE this challenge, and it's one of the very few that I try to enter every week.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says, "Tag It" - I used a canvas tag on my treat bag.

Cardz TV Challenge Blog - 3-D St. Patrick's Day Projects Challenge #3

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out my second blog post today.  There are AWESOME prizes being offered in the Echo Park Papers and Top Dog Dies Blog Hop.  You won't want to miss a thing!

Have a blessed day!

Karen