Grad Celebration BBQ - Summery LO

So, I've taken the plunge into blog-dom!  I've been going to a crafting website a LOT (http://www.cropchocolate.com), and all these wonderful talented ladies have blogs. Since I got accepted into their focus group, I thought, "why not do a blog too?" Maybe it'll make me more talented?  (ha ha) I have found that my crafting style is to get some idea of what I want to do, and to add "just one more thing" until I get to a result I like. 

For my very first blog post, I decided to scrap my oldest son's graduation celebration. Welllll, I love the Echo Park Paradise Beach paper I got from Crop Chocolate because it's so bright and cheerful.  Perfect for a summer lay-out!

Supplies used:
Echo Park Paradise Beach Paper
12 x 12 plain yellow paper
Inssentials Glossy Accents
Bakers Twine
Buttons

Tools used:
Martha Stewart Trim Punch
Sizzix Naturally Serif die
Nestabilities die
Xyron sticker maker
Small star punch (had it forever; not sure of brand)
(and of course, my cuttlebug!) 

Step 1 - I attached my pictures to a beige paper (trimming close) in the paradise beach collection then attach it to the polka dots....and then I cut about 3/4" inch off.

Step 2 - I die-cut my letters and fussy cut one of the blue flowers and applied glossy accent to them.  (I did this on wax paper. They're really gooey, so they had to dry overnight.)

Step 3 - With the same paper that I made my letters, I cut a couple accent pieces and rounded the corner.

Step 4 - I cut some of the blue pattern paper with the Nestabilities die and also a scrap of white.  The stickers are part of the EP kit.

Step 5 - The lay-out needed just one more thing....so I cut a strip of blue paper and used a Martha Stewart punch to create the small scallop trim. I used another Martha Stewart punch to create the rings you'll see later. I cut strips of paper and fussy cut the bottoms to make flags.

Step 6 - I thought the flags looked "sorta" plain.  They needed just one more thing, so I pulled out a small star punch and punched a bunch of stars from scraps. I decided to glossy accent them too.






I twisted some twine around a couple of places (because it needed just one more thing - ha ha!) and added some buttons....and

The results!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Craftily yours,

Karen (karey2005)