Hey, hoppers!!  Didn't know if I'd have time to squeeze this in, and really didn't have any big ideas until this morning...driving home from dropping off all the critters...so when I got home, I carved out some time for a  project to go along with this theme...

If you've seen or made the little toilet paper roll holders, you'll know exactly how this was done...just with felt instead of the roll covered in paper...

I didn't actually adhere anything to the original cardboard roll...but it was very handy to have during the 'building' process and while adhering everything.  Just 'shimmied' it off when it was time to stitch up the bottom and everything else was dry.  I also pulled the top edge up off the roll enough to stitch my ribbon handles on very early in the process, then pulled it back down to finish the embellishing. (I wanted to cover the stitching with the twine.)  It wasn't the easiest thing to photograph...wish I would have had a pretty Christmas tree up to hang it on...

Here's the stitching that closes it up...

I'm thinking most of you have seen these so I'm not going to bore anyone with details of how to make it.  You can dress 'em up or dress 'em down...make 'em really simple or more elaborate with all kinds of trim. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.  I will say PTI's felt proved to be nice and sturdy and held the shape well...I have some other felts that would not have worked as nicely.  Here are a couple made from the roll, covered in paper that were left from my daughter's party this weekend...

They really are fun to make!
Thanks for dropping in!  I've got a screaming headache and need to go get groceries :(
~Geri~

Hope this finds you with a great week behind you and a great weekend on the way!  It's Tip Top Shape Friday at the Creative Paper Trade blog and this week we're incorporating squares into our designs.  Simple,  right?...

 For my first project, I embellished a square frame. (JoAnn Fabrics) I cropped up the little freebie image Andrea offered during our intro week to create this sweet little tag...

  

...and, of course the answer to that question would be to 'be unique'...I used a little Fiscars punch to add that to the bottom.  And in the center is a pretty little 'unique' butterfly...she couldn't decide what color/pattern wings to wear (Andrea offers too many pretty choices...what's a girl to do???) ...so...why limit herself to traditional matching wings, right?  Just like my little Jilli right now...she'll throw anything on and say...'what do ya think, mom?  CUTE, huh?'

Sometimes I wonder what people might think, but I try to let her make some of those decisions on her own.  It's good for her.   And who cares if you're not all match-y match-y!

I think she'll like this...

One more project featuring an image from  Andrea's Framed Out set.  Went with butterflies again...I've got Jillian's birthday on my mind...

This one's made with fabric and tissue, as is the little flower.  I sprayed them with a little shimmer mist, held them with tweezers and blasted them with my heat gun to fluff them up a little...

Brought everything together with some pretty MME papers and a Craft's Meow sentiment...

Wanted to share...I wasn't quite happy with how my frame was blending in with the papers. I was almost there, but not quite, until I decided to print the frame on another piece of MME paper with a really subtle background...

  

Even though it was hard to see in the photo...this made all the difference for me in the finished product.  I printed the image (frame) I wanted on normal paper, then placed my paper of choice on top as to not waste any more than necessary, and taped it down...

...and printed again...that did the trick!!!
OK...I've kept you long enough...you didn't have that much coffee in your cup, did you???  Andrea and Ginny have some additional inspiration over at the main blog.  And we've tweeked our challenge schedule a little to give you more time to create and add to the inspiration!  Better head over to the Creative Paper Trade now for the details!
Thanks so much for stopping in!!
~Geri~

How about a nudge to break out your dies, stickers, and stamps that include letters???

 That's what this very first "paper nudge" (always on Wednesdays!) challenge is all about over at the CPT blog!  And, oh my...is there ever some lovely inspiration waiting for you there!  Just take a peek!
From Andrea...

And Cherry...

And here's mine...

That little heart was punched from a doily image from the 'Rustic Fall' set in Andrea's shop.  Don't know if I'm sold on this card or not, but...it's growing on me!  ;)

I needed this little nudge, myself!  Letters add so much interest and can make a big statement (literally, I guess!)  Especially when they're all different sizes, styles and colors. (LOVE what Andrea came up with, don't you?)  So what are you waiting for?  Head over to the blog, soak up the inspiration, and get crackin'!!

Thanks so much for your visit!!

~Geri~

We (Creative Paper Trade team) are so very excited to get our challenges and inspiration rolling...today is the day!!! Hope you'll jump on board and help us inspire each other! It wasn't my turn to create for this challenge (we'll offer 3 per week--Sunday's challenge, Color My Week, will always offer color inspiration), but I couldn't resist the inspiration...

...so I dug in...

(I think I'm beginning to have a thing for birdies ;) That little guy was cut from one of Andrea's Bright Days tags.  The little sentiment was created from another tag set, Sweetness. I set him in a little chipboard 'window' (we like to keep an eye on each other)...

The pretty papers at the top and the bottom are from the Shabby Twirl and Checks and Dots paper sets, and the little felt flagged pin is from Love Struck (one of my favorites of Andrea's embellishment sets).

If you head over to the CPT blog, you'll see more inspiration from Andrea and Lisa, and details of how each week's challenges will work, including this pretty little prize package for a random winner at the end of the week.

So glad you stopped in!
Happy Sunday, and have a wonderful week!!!

~Geri~

...my sweet friend, Cherry, will be creating along side the other gals and me at the Creative Paper Trade.  Cherry is one of my all time favorite artists...I'm always so inspired by my frequent visits to her blog (girl's got a gift!)...it's so worth your time to visit her there, if you haven't already.  Here's just a tiny peek at the loveliness she creates...

And there's more over at the Creative Paper Trade so hop on over and say 'hello'!
Always good to have you here!
~Geri~

Finally made time to fit in my attempt at the...

Goodness this made me nervous...

And just so you know...I failed!!!  I took me 11 min., 40 sec.  And I was rushing so much...thinking ahead...and forgot that I had planned on running the stamped portion through my Cuttlebug with a woodgrain impression plate before adding flowers and gems.  Had I remembered, I wouldn't have had time to re-stamp some additional leaves and fussy-cut them.  And your probably wondering...'what color ARE those leaves???'  Well, they are PTI's New Leaf green (misted first) and boy, that's just NASTY!  NOT happy at all with that color.  But it was the '10 Min. Craft Dash', you know...no time to change my mind!...

As I look at the inspiration colors again...I'm thinkin' the green Tim Holtz distress ink I have would have matched better, and worked better with the misting.  (Next time!) Even when I have an hour to make a card, I want a do-over...so you can imagine how I would like to tear this apart and re-vamp.  On the other hand,... it really was so much fun to challenge myself to this...trying to hang on to my fussy, shabby style...watchin' my son's stop watch and everything...kind of exciting!  Really looking forward to the next one!!

Thanks, Ginny and Paulina!!  And thank you, friends, for popping in!!!

~Geri~

It's Jessica's turn...

...and here she is...

...and while I've never met her, obviously, I can tell she's full of bright and spunky personality and will be a treat to work with!  She's made up a 'berry sweet' project to share over at the Creative Paper Trade...here's a peek...

Hope to see you there!

~Geri~

Just a quickie to introduce you to CPT designer...

Yes, it's Ginny Lou...with projects and fun facts today over at the Creative Paper Trade!  This was one of my fave's of hers...

Ain't it sweet?
And you may have seen this billboard around town lately...

Ginny and her friend Paulina are hostesses of this new challenge and I think it sounds like too much fun...and a SERIOUS challenge for a fussy crafter like myself...but I do love a good challenge!  Can't hardly say you don't have time for this one either, because the goal is to gather up your materials, start the clock, and try to complete something (at least halfway presentable) in 10 minutes or less!!!  I'm doin' it!!!   Hope to see you there!! (It runs through the 15th!)
And I hope you'll go give Ginny a warm welcome at the Creative Paper Trade and, in the process, enter yourself for today's two free digi sets from Andrea's shop!
Thanks for poppin' in!
~Geri~

A happy day here for me!  So happy you had a moment to share it with me!  I'm such a lucky gal to be posting my first project for the Creative Paper Trade blog today...so blessed to have the opportunity to work with Andrea, her delighful products, and the rest of this fun team!  While we have lots of fun challenges in the works (starting next week!), this first introductory project was a 'free for all' shall we say...we got to do whatever our little hearts desired.  So I came up with a fun little gift for my daughter...a way to surprise her with some happy mail and little love notes on a regular basis with this little jean pocket 'mail bag'...

I had been saving some old jeans of my son's for the perfect project, and in pouring over my box of goodies from Andrea...this little idea came to me.  After dressing out the stitched up pockets (I used some of Andreas cute fabric trim for that) and including a ribbon for hanging, I thought I could use the sweet journaling notes from the 'Take Notes' set just as they were to write some sweet little notes and create some 'happy mail' for my baby girl.  She's in 2nd grade now, so she should be able to read about anything I would want to write to her...

I created some sweet little envelopes out of Andrea's pretty patterned papers (so many pretty ones to choose from!) to 'mail' the notes in.  I had originally and very quickly altered the size of the note cards before printing, to fit my Stampin' Up envelope template, but later decided the original larger size of the card was more in proportion to my pocket and gave me more space to write.  I then just enlarged the envelope template on my copier to fit the cards.  (It is nice to know, though, how quick and easy it is to change the size of the images to meet your needs.  If you have any questions about that, just holler!!)

(I've used some PTI stamps on the little labels on the front.)  I want to be able to re-use my envelopes a few times, so rather than use stickers or adhesive...I used the little circular images off the note cards to embellish some cute paper clips to close them up...

I don't know...I think those may be my favorite part of the project!  PTI dies were used to make the flower behind (as well as the butterflies on the picks up top in the pocket), using more of Andrea's papers!  The little 'Happy Mail' banner/flag in the pocket was made from a sweet digital set called 'Let it Fly'.  A few of the banners in this set are left blank like the one I've embellished, but others already have some sweet sentiments printed on them...cute, CUTE set!!  I'll put that little flag in the pocket to let Jillian know some happy mail has been delivered.  Otherwise...she'll have the cute little butterflies hanging out, keeping her company.  Call me crazy, but I think she'll love this!  Her 8th birthday is later this month, but thank goodness, for now, she's grown back into the 'pretending stage'...enjoying her baby dolls again...playing 'restaurant'...so I think she'll LOVE getting her own 'mail' on a regular basis.  I think it will help me focus on giving her some special positive feedback on a regular basis, too!  I do have a concern, though...I'm concerned I may have to make a couple more for her bigger, older, tougher brothers once they see her getting all this 'happy mail' from mom! (Then their dad and I will need one so they can write us back...!!!) Oh well, worse things have happened!!!
OK...I've taken up way too much of your time!  Thanks for visiting and hangin' in here with me!  Don't forget to go comment at the main blog, HERE, for your chance to enter for today's 2 free digital packs from Andrea's shop.

~Geri~

Good morning all!  I'll be quick!  Wanted to take a moment to introduce you to another sweet face...

Lisa is also on the team with me over at the Creative Paper Trade!  She's doing Andrea and the team the pleasure of helping to coordinate this new venture and all the behind-the-scenes details that will keep the blog hopping along smoothly! She has shared her project there, along with a few fun facts so that we all can get to know her a little better! Here's a peek...

Lisa has dolled up her projects with some of Andrea's sweet little felt embellishments and some of the sweet digital tags, notes, and banners offered in her shop.
Here's a peek of mine, a fun little gift for my daughter, which will be shared on the blog tomorrow...

Every pretty little color and pattern you see here, (except for the label stamped on the front of the tiny envelope) are from digital packs from Andrea's shop.  I can't tell you how much fun it is mixing and matching these pretty colors and patterns that work together so sweetly!  And remember....at the end of this introductory week, random winners will be named from each day's comments to receive 2 digital packs each, along with a big winner who will receive some of Andrea's sweet embellishments!  So what are you waiting for...you don't need to comment here...just git over there and participate!  (And I see some of you sweet friends of mine already have!  Thank you, girls!!!  You know who you are, and I appreciate each of you!)

Thanks so much for popping in!!

~Geri~

Hello, sweet friends!  Hope this Sunday is a happy one for you!  It is the most beautiful day here in Brazil, IN...a wonderful day to introduce you to a wonderful and talented friend of mine!  I'm sure many of you already know her...

Several months ago, I checked out a project Andrea linked up to one of PTI's monthly blog hops, and was instantly hooked on her lovely and unique style and began following along...not wanting to miss out on even a bit of her inspiration.  If you already know her, I'm sure you'll agree...she is one very talented gal.  And I can't even begin to list all that I've seen her accomplish and crank out during the last month in preparing a brand spankin' new creative space in blog-land for all of us to enjoy! The Creative Paper Trade... 

When she put out the word that she was ready to bring on a design team to showcase her  Etsy products...sweet hand made embellishments, and more recently, digital paper and tag packs to match those embellishments...I was ON IT with my reply!  I was later dee-lighted when she emailed and had so sweetly agreed to allow me to be on her team.  On behalf of Andrea and the team, here is just a glimpse of some of her products in action...

I don't want to keep you, but you'll want to visit The Creative Paper Trade today for information on what will be going on this week to kick off the new blog...one full of inspiration (3 posts per week!!), fun challenges, free digitial images to play with, give-aways, and just lots and lots of creative fun!  Andrea has encouraged the team offer our own ideas of what to incorporate into the blog to make it something really special and fun for everyone, and I hope that is just what we've come up with!  Can't say how much fun it has been to be a part of  (or how much fun I've had playing with her products!!!)

We've got great things in store...I do hope you'll join us!!!

~Geri~