Dance Themed Mini Book

Two of my granddaughters are very active in dance.  Both started before age 3 so I've already accumulated quite a few photos.  I've been working on books different style books that I display their photos.  I like the colors in this one (a bit busy, but colorful).  I told the girls they can choose the style they want and we can work on the books together.  

This one is in my Etsy shop (CatnKatKreations)

I used my Cricut Expression to cut chipboard, using Elegant Edges and the Book Special feature to cut the pages.  The paper is from the Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby's own line) stack called  So So Sweet.

I used Xyron 900 to adhere the cardstock to the chipboard.  Many of the shapes I used are from the Shall We Dance cartridge.

I used the Bind It All to bind the book and added lots of bling.

The book holds 12 - 4 x 6 photos, 2 wallet size and 2 5 x 7 photos.

I like to add pockets with tags to add more photos

Folders are another way to add more space for photos.  

Thanks for stopping by....have a great weekend.

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy

Wizard of Oz Mini Book

Happy Monday everyone!  Hoping you are enjoying the cooler temperatures!  I was nearly in shock when I opened my window Saturday afternoon to find the temperature had finally dropped.  It was actually cooler outside than it was in my apartment!!  Today is a bit warmer, but  enjoyable.

Today's feature is a mini book with Wizard of Oz themed paper by Graphic 45.  It was really a kit my daughter purchased from Archivers.

My granddaughters are very involved with dance.  One of the big production numbers this year was Wizard of Oz.  Both the girls were in this production.  Kerri played a scarecrow and Kerri (the 4 yr old) played Toto.  Both were adorable, but Kerri was a star as she stole the show with her cartwheel entrance and shaking her little Toto tail.

My daughter saw the kit and thought it would be a great gift for the girls' dance teacher.  Since Katie is quite busy with the girls, dance lessons, summer school, etc, I offered to make the book and all she had to do is add the photos!

Here are the pages of the book.  It measures 6 x 6 and has lots of fold out pages and pockets.

I really enjoyed making this book.  The paper is GORGEOUS!!!  I purchased the stack of the paper and hope to make one or two more....possibly one for my granddaughters with photos from their dance.

Oh, and I hope you don't mind, here's a photo of the Stars!....Kayla and Kerri!

Enjoy your Monday!

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy

Celebrating the Twins' 2nd Birthday

In January 2011, when my son and his family moved to Japan, I never in my wildest dreams, think we would be celebrating the twins' second birthday here in the US! They arrived February 15 and their birthday is February 18. We actually had 2 celebrations for them! The first celebration was with my son and his family and my daughter and her family. The second celebration was with the rest of the family!

It was fun to make a scrapbook of the two celebrations.

I made the book 8 x 8 in size - easy for the little ones to handle if they want to look at the photos.

The paper is a stack by Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby's brand) called Birthday Extravaganza. I liked it because its colors are neither boy or girl specific.

I used my Cricut to cut titles and embellishments and tags. Phrases is a great cartridge for titles!

Juli seemed to enjoy the cake, if the frosting on her face is any indication!

Party #2. I made a couple pages with pockets and tags in them. Since the twins will be bilingual, I told my son that he and his wife could write messages to the twins on the tags - in English and in Japanese for them to read when they are older.
The happy family....so glad they are back!!!




It seems like forever that I was not making scrapbooks, and this year, I've done quite a bit and I can't wait to share my creations with you! Hope you enjoyed today's feature and you stop by again soon!

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy

One of My Favorites

Last summer, I got back into sewing. I spent several months making tote bags and did quite a bit of embroidery. This is one of my favorite bags that I made.

Two of my granddaughters are involved in dance and they are always toting shoes and dance clothes, regular clothes and needed big bags to carry it all in. This bag is perfect for the tiny dancer!

I embroidered the design on the front of the bag, made with purple twill cotton fabric. The ruffles and lining are made with an adorable cotton print with tiny ballerinas on it.
I have one left of this cute tote have listed in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day!!

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy

Changes In Progress

Slowly, I've been making changes to my blog. I've changed the background and template of the blog. I like the bright colors. I changed some of the fonts - hope they are readable! I've also added a few things...the blog is still Koala-t Kreations, but added another title. My daughter and I have been selling at craft fairs for the past several years under the name of Cat n Kat Kreations. Not only will I be showing sewing and paper crafting projects, I will feature items for sale in my Etsy shop (which is also an addition to the blog)

Hope you like the changes and stop by often to see what's new.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy

A Change is a Comin'!

Its been a long time! YEs, my blog has been sadly neglected but the time has come to make some changes and start sharing my work again. There will be some regular features and some new things to share. I hope you will come back and visit and see the changes. I hope you like them too!

So, stay tuned and watch for the changes here on Koala-t Kreations and will be combined with Cat 'n Kat Kreations!

See you soon!!

Cathy

Finally - I"m BAAAAAAAK!

Yes, its been a very long time since I posted on my blog. Projects that came up kept me busy, and they were not related to papercrafting. Although I had gotten quite disinterested in sewing, my daughter Katie had gotten me involved in some projects that got me sewing again. After sewing 11 double layered petti skirts for my granddaughter's dance recital, I realized I needed a new sewing machine. I was blown away by the new sewing machines and all they can do, I got a fairly basic sewing and embroidery machine. I'm hoping to trade up SOON!

Katie and I decided to try something new for this years season of craft fairs, and we chose tote bags and purses. I realized that all I needed was a good machine for me to enjoy sewing again! I also enjoyed the process of fabric selection and seeing my work take shape.

I'm also enjoying the embroidery part too. I always wanted to do this, but in the past, it was quite expensive for the designs which were only available on special cards. Now, I can download a few designs for a small cost.

Our craft show season is upon us. The first one was a big disappointment as we did not sell one thing. In talking to other crafters, they didn't do well either. We have 4 more - one this coming Saturday and three in November.

In the coming weeks, I'll direct you to our new website that my son in law is creating. It will feature sewing projects, embroidered T shirts and papercrafts. Yes, I'm still creating cards and scrapbooks. I'm currently looking for more ways to combine my two loves - papercrafts and sewing.

One way I've found to combine them is cards. I can embroider designs on fabric or specially designed paper and use it to create greeting cards. Here are a few examples.

This is the first one I made, for my daughter's birthday during the summer. Classic Pooh has been a favorite of Katie's since she was a baby. I embroidered on fabric, and attached it to cardstock. I used Elegant Edges for the frame, embossed with the Cuttlebug and added a few flowers.

This was created for my mom's birthday that we celebrated this past weekend. I embroidered the design on special paper for embroidery. I created this frame in Elegant Edges, using pre-embossed Core'dinations paper. Happy Birthday was cut using Create a Critter Cricut cartridge and "Mom" was cut using the font on PaperLace. Mom LOVED the card.

In the coming days, I will be posting my latest creations. I hope you will come back and visit soon!

Koala-t hugs,

Cathy