Just living life at the Tralace

It seems that I've been quite the slacker when it comes to keeping up with my blog these days. But, the fact is, that I haven't really been doing much of anything that's blog worthy.

Right now we're in the process of doing a mini makeover in the hall bath. We changed out the vanity which has been a vast improvement and we have the tile for the floors but my handyman, aka my husband, hasn't had a chance to get it installed just yet. But, soon...very soon!

The master bedroom is also undergoing a pretty drastic makeover but it's a slow process and I am waiting until it's closer to the finished mark before I do a reveal. I can honestly say though, that I absolutely love it so far! And I will give you a quick peak at a project I just finished last week for my room...some Pinterest inspired wall art. It turned out even better than I anticipated and I love seeing it on the wall.

I've not done any scrapbooking and that is beginning to concern me. I don't know that I've ever gone quite this long without at least starting a layout. But, I'm sure the urge will strike me as soon as I get more of the house stuff out of the way.

We're into the 3rd full week of October and all my fall decorations are still stored away. Normally, I can't wait to decorate for fall...I love the colors and seeing all the decorations make me happy. But this year I decided that my many tubs of fall goodies as well as my sanity would fair best if I didn't subject them to the 6 month old puppies who are so keen on chewing anything and everything in their paths. This is one "phase" of puppydom that I will not miss!  I made a Dollar Tree run last weekend and picked up this little paper turkey and stuff him on the table so I can at least say I've decorated. It counts, right? LOL

So that's what I've been up to...I'm sure I'll have more posts to share soon!

Stampendous Fran'tage Embossing Enamel

Let's talk about this incredible product :) 

 Stampendous Fran'tage Embossing Enamel is one of my all time favorite products and I recommend it to everybody. Honestly, this stuff is phenomenal...none of the photos I managed to get really do justice to this stuff so please keep that in mind as you're scrolling through them. 

While it's a little more difficult to work with than regular embossing powders, the results are beautiful. If you're looking for something to give you fine detail this may not be the best product for you. This is an embossing ENAMEL and it melts with much more texture and dimension than a typical embossing powder. It's just thicker...not sure how else to describe it. I know you've all seen me post layouts and projects where I've used this stuff but I wanted to dedicate an entire post to just highlighting these because I really love them that much. 

Here are some photos I snapped this morning of some of the colors that I own. And remember...the pictures do not do justice to how beautiful this enamel is. 

These are the colors that I own and there are a couple more
colors available that are still on my list. The majority of mine
I ordered from ebay because my nearest Hobby Lobby doesn't have them.

 These powders run at approximately $8 per bottle but a little goes a long way. I honestly don't think anyone would be disappointed in these.  I'm not much on doing videos myself but there are some great ones on YouTube that might better depict how to use these. I try to heat from beneath with these because otherwise the goodies tend to get blown around by the heat gun. However, I have also heated from above using another piece of paper as a buffer between the powder and the heat gun.

You can kind of see the combination of powder, gold flecks
and gold glitter in this shabby pink. It's the combination that gives
such a stunning effect when these are melted.

This is the Chunky Metallic...you can see that's it's an
incredible combination of different granules of enamel and
when melted looks amazing. (see photo above)

I encourage anyone who wants to add dimension and pizazz to their scrapbook layouts or cards or any other project to give these a try. Get just one bottle...that's what I did. I started with the "aged teal" and as soon as I opened the bottle I was completely hooked. I'm betting the same thing will happen to you.

Making your own enamel dots for scrapbooking and card making

If you guys have been living under a rock, like me, and somehow missed out on this incredible tip then today is your lucky day because you've stumbled onto the right blog. I am going to amaze you with just how simple and cost effective it is to create your own enamel dots to use on whatever project you're working on.
Come on, we all love our enamel dots for embellishing our scrapbook pages and homemade cards but they can get pricey quick fast and in a hurry. I've found myself more than once reaching for other embellishments so I could save my enamel dots for something "more important". Ha, not any longer...I'm going to be using them like crazy from now on.

I happened upon a video on youtube while I was doing a search on another product and to say my jaw dropped would be fairly apt. I was in total awe that I could get an almost endless supply of enamel dots so cost effectively.

The only supplies you'll need are:

parchment paper--NOT wax paper and NOT freezer paper
Perler beads
pony beads
an oven or toaster oven.

THESE are PERLER BEADS...I bet we've all used
these at one time or another, either ourselves or with our kids.
I got this on Amazon for $14,59 and there are 22,000 beads in this
bucket. Yes, you read that correctly....22 THOUSAND beads.

THESE are PONY BEADS. I also ordered this on
Amazon for a whopping $3,07 as an add-on item. 

Let me make clear that the pony beads are NOT meant for melting and they DO invade your kitchen with a horrendous odor while in the oven. Some people have stated that the fumes are not healthy...so you use those at your own risk...I'm not advising anyone to do so, only showing you the ones "I" did. I opened my doors, windows and used the fan on my stove and another fan as well so that I was well ventilated.

Here are my pony beads before going into the oven.

You want to place your beads on the parchment paper as I've done here
with the hole facing up and down.

You can actually play around with your baking times as most ovens vary. I set my oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.  And like magic, enamel dots appeared where the beads had been.

Did I tell you they were amazing?? They look exactly like
the enamel dots I've spent way too much money on.

Now, the Perler beads ARE made for melting and there was no odor from

melting them in the oven. Here are my beads before going into the oven. 

You'll place these with the circle facing up and down as well. They don't spread as much as the pony beads but you will still need to leave adequate space for the melting process. 

And now here they are after going into the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

 Remember if you actually click on the photos you'll get a larger image and see more detail. 

These melt beautifully! Honestly, the hardest part is the time it takes to separate the beads and then to place them on the parchment paper covered dish.

Here is another view of my "enamel dots"

These are the larger dots made from the pony beads.
You'll notice they even have the same gloss as actual
enamel dots...and the colors are incredibly vibrant.

These are the dots made using the Perler beads.
OMG...the colors are unbelievable you guys! In that one
container of Perler beads I got over 30 colors!!!

And that's it y'all...it's literally THAT EASY...just put them in the oven and wait. I don't know how I missed this hack but so glad I've found it now. Any questions, just leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope I was able to inspire you to try making your own enamel dots. Happy creating!

August Scrapping

Hi guys! I have just a couple of layouts to share today. I know I usually let them pile up before posting so I decided to change it up a little.

I used a lot of gold Glimmer Mist on this one.
The burlap was sprayed with the gold mist as well.
I hand cut the feather myself and then embossed the tips
with gold embossing powder.
The flowers were made using an acrylic stamp with
gold ink and then hand cutting.

The slide mount (that I've had for YEARS) I just covered
with washi tape with a gold design. The camera border
is a cut file from Silhouette Design Store and I used some
gold Perfect Pearl to add some gold sheen to it. 

This layout is one of my all time favorites...I just love the
way it turned out. I think a lot of that has to do with the
fact that Danielle is just so beautiful and this is great picture
of her.
The colors are much more vibrant in person as well which
is always disappointing when you are sharing or posting your
layouts or projects with others. 

All the flowers are handmade by yours truly.  I used the EK Success
Retro punch and a dark pink glimmer mist...after the flowers were dry
but before I put them together I inked the edges of the petals.
The flowers are made from coffee filters. The leaves I used are
from Wild Orchid Crafts.
The journaling is on the card inside the pocket :)

This is the first side to a 2 page layout. If you follow my blog you know
that I rarely do 2 page layouts because I just don't do them well nor do I
enjoy them. I don't know why...just call me a weirdo, lol.
This layout didn't turn out nearly as well as I'd hoped. I love all
the photos and I really wanted the layout to be perfect...that was my
first mistake, right?? I'm not happy with it but it is what it is and
perhaps it will grow on me. 

The is the 2nd half and as hard as I tried to use all the photos, it just
wasn't possible so you'll notice there are still quite a few photos in
the pocket on the top right (as well as journaling)

And here is a side by side just to give you a better visual. I tried to get them
lined up perfectly side by side and I got close but rest assured that
they DO line up in person. 

This design is also from the Silhouette Design Store.
I glittered each section individually and let me just
tell you that it was not the easiest thing I've ever done!
I wish I hadn't chosen pink for the largest package because I think it
looks more like a birthday embellishment rather than Christmas, but,
again, it's done and I wasn't about to redo it, lol. 

 And there you have it, folks. Thanks for taking a look and check back again soon!
Have a great day!

Summertime scrapbook layouts

So in case you haven't noticed, it's been slightly more than just a couple of days since I promised to upload some layouts in "a couple of days", lol.
We went on vacation and I've just been super lazy since we got back. Now summer is just about over and we go back to school in less than a week.

Without further ado, here ya go :)

Hagan this past Halloween. He wasn't very
cooperative for pictures and this is the best I got. 

Nothing special...just wanted to note that I punched
each of those little arrow/chevron pieces and glued
them on one at a time...it felt like it took forever!

Coordinations cardstock...lightly sanded with a
template underneath to get the design to show through. 

I push the STAMPENDOUS FRAN'TAGE embossing
enamel every chance I get...and it's pretty obvious why, right?
The color variation in this title is right out of the little jar. I believe
the color is "chunky metallic". 

This layout just did not photograph well...it's much brighter
in person and more sparkly.

The hair dryer is a cut file from *Silhouette Design Studio
I used a glitter embossing powder for the blue tip
and I used an EK success punch for the "ric rac"
lines. 

The Minnie Mouse shape was purchased from
*VectorKitchen on Etsy.

The circles were made from a Minnie Mouse duct tape
I had. I just adhered it to some cardstock and used a punch
to cut the circle and then used a larger circle to "mat" it. 

My favorite part of this layout are the "subjects" I
created using the ever trusty label maker. I think they were
the perfect embellishment and yet they blend right in. 

embossed chipboard

I used "shaved ice" for the snow...I'm pretty sure it's
Stampendous but I'd have to check to be certain.

Title is a cut file from *Silhouette Design Studio

This one is much prettier in person. The title is again
from *Silhouette Design Studio*
I made all the flowers and used lots of Goosebumps Spray
as well as Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.
The doilies are from *Wild Orchid Crafts*

You can see the Goosebumps spray here...I love that stuff!

Title for this one is a combination of another
Silhouette Design Studio file and some Echo Park
stickers. I embossed the word "joy" with clear
embossing powder and also embossed the #loveyou 

Pulled embellishments from several different
manufacturers 

I used a chunky yellow glitter for the sun and it's
covered much better than it appears in the photo.
I also mixed a small amount of texture paste with
just a smidgeon of yellow acrylic paint and then
used a Tim Holtz template for the design. 

That's it for now...if you waded though all those then I sincerely thank you :)
Have a great day!