"hope, beauty, joy" card by lauren bergold

this card contains my favorite piece of patterned paper from the MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY kit, so i'm a bit sad that i covered most of it up! on the other hand, i'd like to think the pretty lady on the "peek-a-boo" transparency *IS* the eponymous "mary mary"... so i'm quite pleased to have composed an entire card around her!!! :)

the paper in question is called "floral" and it's from glitz design's vintage blue collection. i love the rich color... the smudgy, inky, shabby chic vibe... the soft pattern of faded flowers and nearly obscured text; yeah, i do wish i had managed to show it off better, but i think it makes a gorgeous backdrop for the more prominent bits of my card.

aren't those glitz "peek-a-boo" embellishments fabulous? i used "mary mary" straight out of the packet (you do get an ENTIRE packet, by the way!) but cut my sentiment from a larger, subway-art-style piece. i used my ordinary everyday adhesive roller to attach them; the fact that they have opaque sections makes it incredibly easy to hide your glue, but you could also staple or sew 'em on... or even use brads or eyelets in the corners. the flowers are cut using a set of smallish graduated flower dies from scraps of other blue papers in the kit which i have inked and distressed to create a vintage feeling.

here's my favorite "secret" bit: the fancy label shape is raised on thin strips of foam tape around three of its edges in order to create a pocket into which i've slid a an embellished tag from the 12x12" sheet of crate paper's "random" stickers; i stuck it to yet another coordinating scrap so i can write a personal greeting on the back of the tag. when my engineering was done, all i needed to do was layer each element on the card, and add some extra embellishments like the gorgeous green seam binding, and a few punched butterflies.

is it just me, or do you think that even "mary mary" will have trouble remaining contrary in such an elegant setting??! :)

* Supplies *

Pixie March Kit

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"

get yours HERE!!!

** Today's Special **

Glitz Designs Vintage Blue Peek-a-boo

Usual 5.99, Today Only - 3.50

If you would like to take advantage of today's special, just drop a note at kirsty@pixiedustpaperie.com

*** Pixie March Challenge ***

"Sketch by Kirsty"

Come play along, CLICK HERE!!!!!

birthday card by Zielonooka

This card was created on 15th birthday for charming girl called Alice.

The card is delicate and without to much splendor as it should be for a young person.

I hope that Alice like it.

~ Zielonooka

* Supplies *

Pixie March Kit

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"

BUY IT HERE !!!

** Pixie March Challenge **

"Sketch by Kirsty"

Play along with us HERE!!!!

"happy birthday to you" mini-book by lauren bergold

this month, though we can hardly believe it, my father-in-law will be celebrating his♥80th♥ birthday! since he is one of the nicest men i know, and also one of the most fun AND youngest-at-heart, i thought the fun papers and embellishments from the MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY kit would be perfect for making a little birthday book.

seriously, have you ever seen a more fabulous mix of colors and patterns? they're making me smile already! i created this little chipboard book with my bind-it-all; but you could do the same with book rings, or even use one of the many pre-made mini-books that are out there... i bet you have at least one in your stash! in this case, the cover is 4x6" and each successive page 1/2" longer, for a graduated look.

i think i used at least a little bit of each paper in the kit, either as a background, or an accent, in the form of hearts and clouds-- made with a decorative punch and a cuttlebug die, respectively. the brightly colored american crafts "flutterby" pennant banners in the kit add INSTANT festiveness to anything, don't they?!

for the text i've taken a favorite dr. seuss poem, called "happy birthday to you" which i formatted in bohemian typewriter font and printed on clear inkjet labels from the office supply store. then i broke the text up into an even amount to fill each page, taking into account the rhyme scheme and the natural rhythm of the poem.

i chose a few words to highlight on each page, using the two very generous alphabets on the 12x12" sheet of crate paper's "random" stickers from the kit, and my trusty dymo label maker. i love the way it accents each page, and gives even more color and interest to the pages. 

since the words really are the "stars" of the show, and it's a longish poem, i kept my design fairly simple, repeating the same simple shapes and basic colors on each page to tie the whole thing together.

i tend to like the "grunge" look anyway, but here's a confession: i have never made a BIG PROJECT where i didn't get some sort of smudge, smear, or ink spotSOMEWHERE... usually at the very end when it was too late to start over! luckily, i know that about myself, so i stay away from the very stark "clean and simple" look, except maybe on smallish cards, lol.

for this book i inked the perimeter of each chipboard page, the edges of each patterned paper panel, and my embellishments. i also did a fair amount of outlining with a very thin black permanent marker, just so each element would stand out.

i finished each page's paper panel before adhering them to my pre-cut graduated chipboard pages. then, at the very end, i used my trusty bind-it-all to make it into a book. there was plenty of paper in the kit, but i confess for the unadorned backs of the pages i used some leftover scraps from past pixie kits, just to bring in a few more fun colors and patterns! (and just in case i DID make a mistake!!!!)

my favorite part is how the graduated pages let you see a little bit of each one, while still keeping the entirety of the design in suspense! 

thank you for your patience in scrolling through ALLLLLLL of these many photos, but i wanted to show the whole poem, and afterall, we are celebrating a wonderful eighty-year life... it's only right we should spend a bit of time savoring the gift, isn't it?! ♥♥♥

* Supplies *

Pixie March Kit

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"

Paper Plus Pack

and

and

Usual $15.50

Today only - $9.50

Get yours HERE!!!

** Pixie March Challenge **

"Sketch by Kirsty"

Come join in the fun!!

Click HERE to enter the challenge

*** Pixie March GIVEAWAY ***

We are giving away this lovely thing to ONE lucky Pixie follower today, if you have been a Pixie follower, simply CLICK HERE to add your name to the list, no need to leave comment and no other "work", just add your name and we will draw one lucky number from that list

"oh snap" card by lauren bergold

one of my personal goals each month is to try to make a cool "guy card" using my pixie kit. for one thing, i love showing that these kits--in addition to being both FAB and extremely generous--are tremendously flexible in terms of the type and style of projects for which they can be used. for another thing, i happen to know quite a few guys, and almost all of them have a birthday every single year!!!  :)

here's what i made with our february kit, YOU MAKE LIFE FUN:

obviously the starting point for this one was that awesome camera from the entire 12x12" sheet of october afternoon's "thrift shop" stickers you get in the kit. my friend juan is one of the best photographers i know, and i think he'll get a kick out of both the sticker and the sentiment. the letters that spell out "OH SNAP" were cut from scraps of pink paislee's "beauty parlor" paper, which has a fun word search grid on its reverse side. there are quite a few full words you could trim, or circle, or highlight; but if the one you need isn't there, just make your own!

i used my manual typewriter to add the same phrase repeatedly on the background paper(the reverse of glitz design's "vintage blue") concentrated around the perimeter of my faux-polaroid, which is composed of plain white index stock from my stash, a scrap of my mind's eye "fun and games" paper, and a dymo label. if you don't happen to have a typewriter or label maker, no worries! you could easily get the same effect using your computer's printer and some fun free fonts!

and now i am anxious to mail this, both because i am excited for juan to see it... and also... because i really *DID* (unfortunately) miss his birthday!!!

*Supplies*

Pixie February Kit

"You make life fun"

paper and sticker pack

Usual $11, today only $6

simply send an email to kirsty@pixiedustpaperie.com

or check out Pixie@Etsy

also The Pixie Shop for other crafting goodies

***** 

This is our final project for Pixie February Kit "You make life fun"

Tomorrow is our preview, hope that you're excited for March!!!!

*****

Not too late to join us at our February Challenge

"The Land of Fairy Tales"

Click HERE to enter our challenge!!!

**** 

We have a giveaway coming up soon, stay tuned with Pixie!!!!

You Make Life Fun.......

Pixie Dust Paperie February Kit

"You make life fun"

"I want it all" pack

$31 - get it here!!!!

"Paper Only" Pack

$8.50 - get it here!!!

"Paper and Sticker" pack

$11 - get it here!!!

Embellishment Circle Garland

$3.99 - get it here!!!

***  ***  ***

Pixie February Challenge

"The Land of Fairy Tales"

create a project based on the inspiration picture

You have seen our fabulous Pixie Challenge Design Team and their beautiful projects the past 3 days, here's 2 more projects for the challenge

Lauren Bergold

Kirsty Vittetoe

Come play along with us


Pixie February Challenge
"The Land of Fairy Tales"


Click HERE to enter the challenge

"go wild on your birthday" by lauren bergold

it's a well-known (& awesome!) fact that the pixie dust paperie specializes in finding the prettiest papers and the most beautiful embellishments, and this month's LOVE NOTES kit is certainly no exception. so you may be wondering if they can ALSO be used to produce fun masculine cards and layouts? if i may, i'd like to give my answer in card form:

the reverse side of crate paper's "denim" sheet is a lovely floral... but this side is fab as well, don't you think? pink paislee's "cozy sweater" has a fun geometric on one side and an awesome graph on the reverse. my mind's eye's "love me" paper is neutral--both in color and gender--as are a bunch of the elements in the giant 12x12 set of crate's "random" chipboard. the distressed pale green ledger panel was cut from the packaging of pink paislee's "wood chip" alphabet. speaking of which: 

those babies are already an attractive shade of natural pale wood and frankly look great right out of the package; but i couldn't resist using a texty background stamp to give mine a little more personality! and then there's the star of the card:

ok, no, he wasn't actually included *IN* the kit. :) but i bet, like me, you've got a few favorite digital files, right? having a small nephew (& crazy brothers-in-law, lol!) some of mine happen to be monsters. this one, from a set called "monstrous" by jesse edwards, is sadly out of print, but there are loads of others available; plus clipart works well for this; or try a google image search of "monster" and "paper-piecing" and see what you get!

the gorgeous package of crate paper's "random" trimmings which come in the kit included this fantastic extra-thick baker's twine. i attached it to my card using fast-dry tacky glue. i love the way it frames my sentiment composed with the wooden letters, a bit of computer-generated text, and my trusty dymo labeller!

and there you have it: a monstrously festive "guy card" that surely any husband, nephew... or crazy brother-in-law... would love to receive! :)

*Supplies*

Pixie January Kit "Love Notes"

"I want it all" pack

$39.00 - get yours HERE!!!!

"Paper only" pack

$9.00 - get yours HERE!!!

Chipboard

$5.50 - get yours HERE!!!

Wood  Chip Alphabets

$5.49 - get yours HERE!!!

♥ Pixie January Challenge ♥

"Love Notes"

Click HERE to check out our January Challenge