100 Comments Event - www.Blogelina.com

 

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, 

so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.   

Colossians 4:6

Welcome to the ‘100 Comments’ Event sponsored by Blogelina. (www.blogelina.com)  Thank You for visiting all of us who are involved with this today!  Be sure and let us all know Your Thoughts on our blogs and on the Event -  *smile*

I’ve never been blessed with much in the way of ‘material goods,’ but God has blessed me with a large heart, overflowing with love and ‘frugal creativity’ - and the ability to add ‘An Elegant Touch…’ to all of my endeavors.  Many have told me so through the years.  Having learned how to ‘shop smart,’ my favorite words are - FREE and CLEARANCE!  My crafty soul loves the excitement and challenge of using bits and pieces of very inexpensive items to compliment and highlight my creations.

For today’s Special Post, I have decided to showcase some of my recent projects that you may not have seen and which will give you a better idea of what I do and can do - for you and others!

Scrapbooking has been a way of documenting life stories for years - for family and for friends.  I have recently had the opportunity to work full-time as the Archival Preservationist/Professional Scrapbooker (and more) for a Celebrity Family in this area.  It was a terrific experience to be able to have a hobby become a job - for a while!  I do regular paper scrapbooking and also digital scapbooking.  Here are a few of my layouts -

 

 I enjoy taking everyday, simple items - such as brown paper lunch bags - and turning them into lovely Mini Albums with places for photos and ‘pockets’ for journaling and memorabilia.  Here are some with a link here to see all of the pages inclusive -
(  www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788  )

Taking a plain canvas and turning it into a work of art - with ‘stash stuff’ - has been a fun and exciting project!  Here is one I did for a ‘Swap’ recently -

There’s nothing better than a personal, handwritten note in a handmade card - even in this modern, cyber-age!  Therefore, I love to make cards for all occasions.  Here are just a few - more can be seen in other posts here and on my FB page -      
(  www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788  ) 

Through my work as an Archival Preservationist the past few years, I taught myself to do Digital Photo Restoration of Vintage Photos - to ‘renew’ memories from by-gone days.  Here are a just a few of my most dramatic restorations of the many that I’ve done -

I’d love to hear from you  - see your creations - hear your thrifty hints - share your thoughts -  ‘Follow me’ here and on FB and keep in touch!

Blessings!

Lynden

Altered Art Swap Project

 

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

I recently participated in an Altered Art Swap through the ‘Create, Share & Inspire!’ site (www.morepaperthanshoes.com ).   I received an item this past week that was hand-crafted by a woman in TN and I sent one that I made especially for her to her.  Now that we have each received them, I can post photos of our projects!  We were to use items we already had in our ‘crafting stash’  - and make some kind of a wall hanging…  A quote was to be incorporated. 

I really enjoyed the creative experience and the sense of ‘mystery’ involved - wondering what I would be receiving - and wondering if she would like the one I was making and sending -

I used a Quote by Helen Keller - “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen, or even heard, but must be felt with the heart -“   Thus, my scripture quote above -

Here is the one I made for her.  Details follow -

I chose to do mine for her in ‘neutrals.’  I made the large flower from a page from a book ($$ Store) that I tea-dyed, cut and then rolled into a flower.  I spritzed it and the small flowers ($$ Store) with an Opalescent spray and added gem centers.  I made the ribbon flowers, also.  The leaves, fairy, birdcage and scalloped oval frame were cut with my Cricut/SCAL2.  The woven backgrounds and the floral scalloped oval are wallpaper remnants.  The 6x8 canvas (Michaels) was inked with 'Wheat' Versa Magic ink.  The 8x10 wood frame ($$ Store) was dry-brushed with white and then gold acrylic paint.  (Do you get the idea I get a lot of crafting items from the $$ Store?...as well as Michaels…)

Here is the one I received from her.   I’d mentioned that lavender and black were my favorite colors.

I found it quite interesting that without knowing, we both incorporated a cage, winged elements (fairy - butterfly), pearls, ribbon, leaves, handmade flowers and book pages  - yet in very different ways!  What a fun, creative project!  I'd be happy to make one for You - or for You to give as a gift - Just let me know  - 

Wonderful Handmade Flowers!

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land. 

 Song of Solomon 2:12

My Dear Cyber-friend, Anna, makes the Most Lovely flowers and she’s offering a Giveaway on her blog - and you can always purchase them on her Etsy Store.  I want to share the Beauty with You!

Giveaway time again!

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog! After getting back on my feet...

I have been wanting to do a giveaway on the blog. 

I finally got some time and took pictures.. YAY! 

Now that I have done my part it's your turn ;) LOL

So here is how you can win this set of flowers:

You will have to do at least one on the list below.

Each one you do you can post again for a chance to win!

(Will pick at random) 

- You can follow my blog 

- You can post my giveaway on Facebook (public post)

- You can become a fan on my Facebookfan page

- You can post my giveaway on your blog

So it's really up to you how you want to enter this giveaway :) 

The giveaway deadline will be Monday Feb. 20th. 

I will post the winner on Tuesday Feb. 21st!

10 Things I Love About My Family!

 

We love because He first loved us. 

 I John 4:19

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 I Corinthians 13:13

Our February assignment for ‘Create, Share & Inspire!’ ( www.morepaperthanshoes.com ) was to make a Mini-Album with the theme of “How I love you…”  I have chosen to make a Paper Bag Album based on one of my favorite poems, “How Do I Love Thee?  Let Me Count the Ways…” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  Although it was written to explain a romantic love between a man and a woman, I genuinely feel that it explains the love I have for My Family.  I recently acquired a little scrapbooking element (on a Clearance rack), which was a ‘library card holder’ filled with 10 numbered strips entitled, ‘10 Things I Love About My Family’ - before I even knew I’d need it!

Paper Bag Albums are a very inexpensive and easy way to make an album, which can include photos, journaling and memorabilia of many types.  Photos can be placed on the decorated pages, memorabilia can be saved and journaling can be done on the tags placed in the pockets, small and large, formed in the construction of it.  I cut many of the elements with my Cricut/SCAL2.  The papers and frames are from Recollections, K & Company and DCWV.  The gems and buttons are from Recollections. 

We were also to share a ‘tip’ that we find useful in our scrapping.  I have really appreciated a tip I was given and have found to be extremely economical and helpful.  One can use ‘Aleene’s Tack-It Over & Over’ glue to make dots or strips of varying sizes to use in adhering elements to pages, cards or whatever project is being done.  Just make dots/strips on the backing sheets left from ‘used’ labels (CD, address, etc.) or on waxed paper.  Let dry an hour or so until the dots become transparent.  Then just place the object to be adhered on a dot and then place and press on your project.  One can get literally thousands of dots in various sizes from one bottle of glue! 

Let me know if you have any questions.   ;-}