A 4th of July Tribute

Once again, it’s July and I am asking myself “Where did the time go?”  It means summer is here and we’re hitting the road to visit family for the 4^th.  This year, we’re headed to see my side of the family and celebrate my nephew’s 4^th of July birthday at an indoor trampoline park.  I’m scared! 

But, last year we went to California to visit my in-laws.  They were really in the swing of things and we checked all the boxes:  red, white and blue clothes?  Check.  BBQ? Check.  My mother-in-law had even decorated the patio with patriotic wind catchers and other fun items. 

So, in honor of them and the upcoming holiday, I’m sharing a layout that’s all about them and our time together.  I took a cue from my mother-in-law's decorations and used as many embellishments as I could on the page.  I love how it turned out!

Celebrate by Moanica Caston.  Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper, 3-D stickers: Pebbles, Inc.; Star Gems: Favorite Findings; Ribbon: unknown; Letter alphas: American Crafts Thickers.

Be safe and I hope you enjoy the holiday and get to spend some time with your families!

Happy 4^th of July!

Moanica

Hot Fun In the Summertime!

"Them summer days, those summer days...." Nobody does it like Sly and the Family Stone! You really can't help but feel good when you hear that song.

Whenever I hear it, the soothing melody reminds me to slow down and savor "them summer days" because "those summer days" seem to go by faster and faster the older I get.

Happy Independence Day! I hope it finds you and yours having a blast! There are so many ways to celebrate -- family reunions, block parties, cookouts, watching fireworks, lighting sparklers, and the list goes on. Whatever it is that you do, have fun doing it!

Although I enjoy celebrating just like everyone else, July 4th always reminds me that we're halfway through summer. Not like a sad thing, just a reminder to slow down and savor "them summer days, those summer days."

Last month, I shared a tropical travel themed album with you. This month, I thought I'd share a beach album that I made using Mud Puddles and the On the Boardwalk collection from one of my favorite paper craft companies, Graphic45. I hope you like it!

I added sea shells and glass elements to the cover to give it depth and add to the texture that the Mud Puddles gives. I used Glossy Accents on the swirls near the Glimmer Glass palm tree by Tattered Angels, which I heated with a heat tool to make it pliable.

The lace was sprayed with Glimmer Mist, the backs of the Glimmer Glass elements were colored with Copic Markers, and I added a crumpled ticket to add to the boardwalk theme.

I used a nautical mask with Glimmer Mist to create the effect above, prior to placing the Glimmer Glass on the paper with a brad.

I applied Peal Ex to the back of the seahorse prior to heating. And of course, there always has to be a little bling!

For a little something different, I sprayed the paper with water, crumpled it, opened and inked it with Distress Ink, and then sprayed it with Glimmer Mist.

Now that you're done looking, take a moment and listen to Sly and the Family Stone singing "Hot Fun in the Summertime."  Remember to slow down and savor "them summer days, those summer days."

Enjoy,

Amazing View!

Well by now the summer is in full swing!  Hopefully, you all have had an opportunity to enjoy the sun.  But, before you get too comfortable don't forget to use plenty of sunscreen and wear good UV protected shades.  July is UV Safety Month!  Who knew?

Over exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause sunburn and age spots, lead to wrinkling and even lead to skin cancer.  So be careful out there!

In the spirit of summer, sun, shades, and Independence Day.  I created a fun pair of sunglasses that will always have an amazing view.  I decided to superimpose a photo of President Obama shaking hands with the crowd.  Below is a copy of the shades, feel free to download (right click & save) and use it with one of your summer photos.  Enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Are you enjoying another July 4^th full of fireworks, cookouts and fun with family and friends? I sure am. This Holiday is always a nice one for us. It's like the official kick off to Summer.

To celebrate the 4^th, I created this card using one of my favorite distressing techniques by embossing and sanding the raised areas of white core cardstock. I love how the sanding highlights certain components. It’s like a slow reveal that becomes even more eye catching as you sand away. The sanding gives the card more depth, dimension, and texture. I definitely love that…J

July 4th by Karen Jiles Supplies Cardstock: Close To My Heart; Patterned Paper: American Craft;Star Pins: Maya Road; Crocheted Ribbon: Recollection; Button: Advantus; Stamp: Raindrop; Ink: Ranger; Embossing Folder: Sizzix; Other: Wired Ribbon

So, how are you celebrating your 4^th of July?

Hugs, Karen

Independence!

Please ... slow the pace of time just a little so that I can catch up! I just this moment realized that this is my day to provide an interesting, enlightening, entertaining and educational post for our blog. The post is supposed to be something relative to this time of year, our paper crafting experiences and/or the information that appeared in the latest edition of E:spire.

As my lights flicker on and off due to rain storms I will attempt to provide something meaningful to reflect on.


The Emancipation Proclamation, yes, the original document is currently traveling throughout these United States of America. Two weeks ago Dearborn, Michigan, had the pleasure to host this historic document at The Henry Ford Museum. For the first time in the history of the Museum it kept it's doors open for 72 consecutive hours and allowed the viewing of this monumental document free of charge.

What strikes me most at the revel of our Nation then and now and as we watch with pride the demeanor and fortitude of our President is just how far we have come in our society and how far we still have to travel. Are we capturing our accomplishments as a people and as individuals into our scrap book pages and albums?

Additionally, as we speak, our Founder, Tiare, Classy Girl herself is providing the type of support that only a daughter gives to her Mom who is recuperating from surgery.

Let us collectively demonstrate our support and continue to create with the genius and inspiration we receive from both the Leader of our Country and our leader in this world of creativity!

Thank you Tiare!

Thank You President Obama

Thank you GOD

Get (Fire)Crackin' on 4th of July Layouts...

Hope everyone had a 4th of July filled with family, food, friends, fun, and fireworks!!! Now that the holiday is over, it's time to get fired up working on documenting all of those memories. Well, if you need some inspiration just turn to the June/July issue of Scraps of Color E-zine! Totally inspiring! Well, I spent some time flipping through the magazine this weekend and had so many ideas spark from the sketches, tutorials, 4th of July layouts and free digi downloads! For this layout I started with Tiare's sketch featured on page 8 and rocketed off with ideas from the 4th of July layouts featured on page 42, used the digi download provided by Camille on page 19, and (as if that were not enough inspiration) also tried out making felt brads with glue dot technique on page 21!


Have you started documenting your 4th of July already? I challenge you to go back and look through the SOC e-zine and create a project using several of the points of inspiration featured! Trust me, there is no shortage of inspiration there!

Oh, in case you have not printed out your digital pictures yet, don't let that prevent you from getting crackin' on your layouts. When I'm inspired, but haven't printed out my photos I go ahead and make the layout without the photos. Then I photograph my layout, upload it, and open it with Photoshop. From there I upload photos from my camera that I may want to use on the layout. It's great beacause I can drag and drop various photos onto my layout and get a visual idea of how the photos will look when I actually print them off and put them on the physical layout! So, don't let lack of printed photos keep you from blasting off into scrapbooking those 4th of July memories right now!

Happy 4th of July

I hope that you are enjoying this 4th of July. The 4th is such a great time to watch fireworks, parades, and enjoy cookouts with family and friends. In our latest issue of Scraps of Color, you will find 4th of July ideas on page 22, 42, and 43. These ideas were created by the SOC Design Team to inspire your creative juices.

In honor of the 4th I created this little card. What I loved most about it was the use of my Grand Calibur dies to create the card base and additional layers. This card was so much fun to make. The unique shaped card enhanced the complete design.

4th of July Card by Karen Jiles. Supplies-Patterned Paper & Chipboard: Bo Bunny; Cardstock: Close To My Heart; Die: Spellbinders (Grand); Crystals: Prima; Ink: Copic Marker and Vintage Photo; Tool: Air Compressor.

As shared earlier in this post, I used a Grand Calibur Die by Spellbinders to create the card base. I left the card base in the Die and airbrushed the card. This enabled me to keep an outer trim around the card. I then cut additional layers using the nesting dies and added chipboard and crystals. I added Vintage photo ink to the edges to distress the embellishments and layers a little.

How will you celebrate your 4th of July? Any creative plans using 4th of July as a theme?

Please share.

Hugs, Karen