Some of My Favorite Altered Projects!

Here are some of my favorite altered projects that I have done in the recent months. I just love to alter things! So much Fun!! If you would like details on anything, like the products used or where to purchase, please email me.

This is a clock that I altered for my Scraproom. Check out that before pic!! Not too pretty then! LOL




This is a baby shower gift. Used a tin heart that was actually one of my wedding shower favors!


Just a boring, plain candle that I altered with some Pink Paislee paper, ribbon and some Inque Boutique stamps.

Love this picture of my son on the beach. Picture Window Frame.

This was alot of fun to make. The firecrackers are actually toilet paper rolls! This was featured on Inque Boutique's HomePage during the 4th of July week.

This is one of those Chipboard DoodleBug houses that I altered to resemble a Jersey Shore Beach House. This was a blast to do! >




And finally, here is a clock that I made using all Inque Boutique papers, stamps and felt. I have this displayed outside in our gazebo for the summer.









Thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate it!

Have a great day!!

Hugs, Melissa

Some of My Favorite Scrapbook Layouts!

I love this photo of my son. It is probably my favorite pic of him taken this summer. I love the way he was looking up at me with those blue eyes! Even with the grape ice pop drippings on his chin! LOL

I used some Prima flowers as well as some Heidi Swapp Heart and Butterfly Mirror Embellies, which I left as is.(You can use rub-ons, paint, etc on them!) These were sent to me by Jennifer McGuire! They are just adorable and add a nice touch to pages and cards. Thanks Jennifer! You Rock!! I also
used some gorgeous black crystal swirls by Prima. The background paper is by Creative Imaginations.


Here are a few of my favorite pages from the past couple of months!



This one is a photo of my son, Antonio and my niece, Francesca, taken over Fourth of July weekend. They were both watching TV laying together on the couch, not a care in the world! Aren't they cute!! Papers, chipboard and stamps are all Inque Boutique.




This one has a few pics of my son trying to help his mommy plant some Spring flowers. He was picking dandelions out of the grass and "planting" them in my large barrel planters. He is my lil helper!! The page was done on some Pink Paislee paper. I used some Inque Boutique stamps and chipboard as well as some ribbon.



This next one was actually lifted from a digital layout that I had seen. While, I like the way digi layouts look, I still like the 3-D effect of traditional Lo's. This is a photo of my niece Gabrielle. She is so beautiful. All the flowers and butterflies are Inque Boutique Stamps. I added some lace ribbon and leaf ribbon to make it appear like a trellis. I also adhered some crystals to look like dew drops.

And here are a few more.....

More pics of my Lil Pumpkin...

And this one is a photo of my family taken on my Brother and Sister-in-laws 25th Wedding Anniversary, when they renewed their vows! What a beautiful day!

Thank you for stopping by and for all the sweet comments everyone has left for me!
Tomorrow??! I will post my favorite altered items!

Have A Great Day!

Hugs, Melissa

Cards, Cards and More Cards!

This is a card I made for a friend's upcoming Birthday. I hope she likes it!
I used some patterned papers by My Mind's Eye (29th Street Market) and Scenic Route, Bazzill Basics Cardstock, Inque Boutique stamps (Flutter by Butterfly and Sentiments), and some brads and pearls.

I thought I would post some of my favorite cards that I recently made.

This one was made using some Inque Boutique stamps(Boutique Grunge) and papers Memoirs). Also, used some sheer ribbon and some crocheted lace.

I made the chipboard piece(Inque Boutique) and ribbon to resemble a buckle. Thought that would go good with the "You've Got Style" theme! Papers used are by My Mind's Eye and Inque Boutique. Stamps used are also Inque Boutique.

This one started out as a clear card but I have since displayed it on a easel in my home surrounded by family photos. The clear card is a piece of printable transparency by PrintWorks. The papers used are by Pink Paislee and Inque Boutique. The stamps, chipboard tree and quote are also Inque Boutique.

This was made with paper by Basic Grey and the blue paper is by Deja Views which I also stamped some images onto. All stamps are Inque Boutique. I also added some pearls, an old key and some ribbon. I inked, tore and distressed the edges of the papers.

This one is very special to me, because it is the first card that I will have published in a print magazine. It will be in the March 2009 issue of CardMaker. So I will have to take this down shortly, but decided to post it for now! The scalloped paper is by Pink Paislee and all the stamps are by Inque Boutique. I also won with this at Inque Boutique's weekly gallery contest. Unfortunately, do to the company now being sold to Darice, they have suspended the contest indefinitely. Let's hope they continue using the same quality rubber that Inque Boutique is known for!!

This one I posted before, but I just love it!

And last but not least, here is another card I made using Inque Boutique stamps. The papers are by DCWV.

Tomorrow, I will post some of my favorite Scrapbook pages that I made recently!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Hugs, Melissa

Check out this Blog!!

Do you want to be inspired?? Then go and check out Inspirational! This blog is amazing! It showcases Scrapbook layouts, cards, altered items and more, from other Crafty Blogs from all over the world! If you want to see some talented people, then check this out! Also, if you think you got what it takes to be showcased or know someone who should be, then go there and sign up! You too, could be showcased!

Well, just a short post today, just wanted to share this awesome blog with you all!

Have a great day!

Hugs, Melissa

Summer of ScrapLovin' Final Week & Blog Awards!!

Whew! Didn't think I would make it, but this is the final week of challenges over at ScrapLove.com. This weeks final challenge was to alter something and the primary focus had to be on yourself. As soon as I saw that, I thought, I don't think I'm gonna be able to do this!! I don't like to scrap about myself. But once I started, it was actually kinda fun. The whole point of these challenges was to get you to do some things you wouldn't normally do and let me tell you, they certainly did a good job of it. It was really fun and challenging and I would definitely do it again! Now onto the project itself!

I started off not knowing exactly what I wanted to alter. At first, I thought of doing a mini album but when it comes to altering something, that doesn't really come to mind. So I decided I would alter a cheap frame I got in CVS (of all places) for $12! I painted it an off white color (originally black), then covered the front with some new yummy Pink Paislee paper and then sanded and inked the inner edges of the frame for a
distressed look. Then I added lots of crystals, pearls, butterflies
(Inque Boutique stamp),an antique key, Prima flowers, Melissa Frances resin Scrolls (love them!), chipboard heart (IB) covered with DCWV paper, buttons, brads, crocheted lace and hemp cord.
The journaling reads:
Who I Am
I Am..A Wife to my Best Friend.
I Am...A Mom to the love of my life.
I Am...A Daughter to the best Mom.
I Am... A Sister to my best girlfriend.
I Am...A Friend to the people I love.
I Am...Me. Loyal, honest, true. Happy just to be Me.

I am still not sure if I will display this or rip it apart and re-alter it! I'm still uncomfortable with having a project done all about myself, even though I like the way it came out! Well, we'll see! Now onto some awards!!

I received this Blog Award last week from my friend Lindsay.
She is awesome!! She is so inspiring with all her ideas and tutorials! Thanks Lindsay! I would like to send it back to her but not sure if that's allowed, LOL, so I will send her another award!

Here are the rules for the Award:

1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog (well, I'm gonna let this one pass
a little, since my blog is new!)
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part
of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award. Quite simply really it is a way
of saying Thank You to those who take time out for wonderful comments to boost
your day.

Ok, So I am nominating the following bloggers/friends:

Danielle Flanders ~My first true inspiration in this Scrappin' World!
Cheri Wenger~Beautiful work and very inspiring!
Danni Reid~Her work is amazing!
Jessie Rone~Her stamping is unbelievable!
Denitza~Awesome work and she is very sweet!

This special Award goes to the following:
Lindsay ~ You're the Best!
Mitzi ~ You Rock!
Jennifer ~ Your blog has so many interesting and fun things!
Pat~Even though your blog is new, I know I'm gonna love it!!

Have an awesome day!!

Hugs, Melissa

Another CraftShow Item and a BLOG AWARD!!

This is another item that I will be selling at my upcoming Craft Show. It would make a nice gift to bring to the new parents at either the hospital or when they arrive home for the first time with their new Bundle of Joy. I will be making them in light blue (pictured), pink, yellow, green and a light purple.

I first, folded 2 pieces of white tissue paper and then placed it into the glass, then I used my light blue ink pad and rubbed the raised edges of the paper for a little added color. I stamped that cute teddy bear (IB Lil Stamp) using a few different color browns. Then blew it up on the copier 190%, printed it out onto cardstock, colored it in with some colored pencils and added the mini pacifier and bow. I then adhered that along with all the other Vintage Labels (Melissa Frances and Crafty Secrets) using a hot glue gun to some large lollipop sticks which I also "ran" my lt. blue ink pad down. I then glued them to the inside of the paper
along with the little baby shoe, ribbon, string pearls and a safety pin. The one label says "The Star EXTRA A Baby was Delivered to Mr & Mrs_____ on_______" So the gift giver can fill in the parents name as well as the baby's arrival date on the label to personalize the gift. On the outside of the glass block, I adhered a chipboard heart which I covered in glitter, some lace ribbon and a button. Let's hope they sell!

I just received a Blog Award from my friend Lindsay, who's blog, (http://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/) is awesome make sure you go and check it out! She has everything from Scrapbooking, cardmaking, recipes and so many how to's! Thanks Lindsay! I will send mine out tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Hugs, Melissa

Summer of ScrapLovin' Week #5!

Well, just 1 more week to go! Here is my layout for this weeks Challenge. You had to have polka dots on your layout. The more the better! They also showed a sketch of a tree with swirls, butterflies and little cupcakes with hearts on it that they wanted you to draw some inspiration from. So I used that cute tree by Pink Paislee and some
hearts and the butterfly as my inspiration. As far as the polka dots, well, they are EVERYWHERE!! On the papers, ribbon, chipboard heart and letters, the CS letters,flowers, butterfly, tree and I framed Antonio with some crystal "polka dots"!
The journaling on it reads: "This was the first time you ever crawled. And it was on the night of your first Thanksgiving. 2006".

All the papers are by Pink Paislee as well as the (grow) cs letters and that cute tree! Also used Inque Boutique stamps (the butterfly, hearts on tree and dotted flowers). And the little heart is also IB. The crystal frame is by Heidi Swapp.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!

Hugs, Melissa

Design Team Call Tryout and Mini Summer Album!

I just saw today over at SplitCoast Stampers that there is a Design Team Call for a company called Fire Cracker Designs by Pamela. WOW! You need to check out her stamps!
They are adorable! Why have I never seen them before! So I sent in my application along with some samples of my work. While I have been a very loyal customer to Inque Boutique (have only used their stamps for the past year!), I think it is time to branch out a little bit. Even if I don't make the team, I need to get some of her adorable stamps! So keep your fingers crossed for me regarding the Design Team call!


I made this cute little album using Inque Boutique's Memoirs InqueBoard. It isn't finished yet as I am going to add more pages as well as more embellishments to it. I also used some Maya Road chipboard. All the papers used are by Inque Boutique (their Cabana pack) as well as some of their stamps, felt pieces and brads. I kinda

like the way it came out, well I like the cover anyway, the insides need some more work!! To see the rest of the album, visit Inque Boutique's Gallery at GoInque.com. I will post more pages when they are finished!

Have a great weekend!

Hugs, Melissa

Summer of Scraplovin Week #4 Challenge!

This is for the Week #4 Challenge over at ScrapLove.com. This weeks challenge is to make a layout using the back of a frame as your canvas. So when you are finished,
you have a freestanding layout! How fun is this!! I love the way this turned out. The photo was taken of my son when he was about 3 months old. He always had a smile on his face and still does!! He is such a happy little boy, I hope that never changes!!

I covered the frame backing with paper from My Mind's Eye (29th Street Market) and Pink Paislee (Green Lace). I distressed the papers a bit by bending and tearing them a little. I then adhered that adorable crocheted ribbon (ACMoore) with the safety pin and Memories tag. I covered that cute little tree by Inque Boutique (Memoirs InqueBoard) with some more Green Lace paper and inked the "trunk" with 2 different color inks by Colorbox. I also covered the chipboard heart (also Inque Boutique) with some more pp and inked the edges. I then hot glued the wooden Home ($1 bin at Michael's, Gotta love that!) and added the bow and felt flower and heart (Inque Boutique). Lastly, I added the large Pink Paislee Green Lace Frame and some buttons in the corner of the photo. For the buttons, I just tied a piece of hemp cord through the top button then hot glued that one to the green one and then hot glued them to the flower button.

I hope you like it! Now it's your turn to make one! They are so much fun!! And remember to make it as dimensional as you can, as it is more pleasing to the eye!

Have a great day!

Hugs, Melissa

Sizzlin' Summer Fun Contest!

Well, today is the First day of August! WOW! This summer is going fast! Here is a layout I did for the Sizzlin' Summer Fun Contest over at Your Memories by Design.com (ymbd.blogspot.com) Go and check it out! It is a wonderful site with alot of talented people, fun contests and a great gallery and forum.

If my son could stay in the pool all day, he definitely would! We literally have to pull him out! He just started to swim on his own. So now it really is fun for him. He is such a quick learner, he's only 28 months! He is too much!!


All the patterned papers are Inque Boutique's Cabana line except for the blue polka dotted one, that is Making Memories and the orange lace cardstock is by Ki Memories.
Stamps and chipboard wave are also by Inque Boutique.

Well, don't forget to go and check out YMBD's contest. Maybe it will get you motivated to scrap all those summer photos you have so far, I know it's motivating me!! Have a great day and rest of summer!!

Hugs, Melissa