Spring is such a pick me up. It’s the perfect time to send a little card to a friend for no reason at all. Today Designer Kathy Martin is showcasing a sweet little handmade gift for spring – mini hoop art – along with a coordinating card. You’re going to love it!

Spring is my favorite season! After the long cold months have passed the earth comes alive again with the leaves returning. Every morning I enjoy waking to the sounds of birds…lots of birds chirping and courting one another. The days begin to warm lengthen allowing more time in the garden.

Spring cards and a handmade gift using Pebbles Inc. Garden Party collection

Garden Party captures all that I love about spring and with it I created these little hoop art accents that can be hung on a wall or set on a shelf…bring a little spring indoors.

Supplies:

Garden Party – Forget Me Not (732521)

Garden Party – Petunia (732517)

Garden Party – Die Cut Cardstock Shapes (732541)

Garden Party – Phrase and Accent Stickers (732530)

Garden Party – Clothes Pins (732533)

Garden Party – Die Cut Cardstock Shapes (732536)

**Be sure to head over to Facebook and check out the fun giveaway we have going on today.

The weather in Utah has been unusually warm recently and we’re really trying to soak in the sunshine and enjoy it. It also seems to be the perfect time to take a closer look at Garden Party, a pretty collection full of classic spring icons like butterflies, florals and raindrops.

All week we’re going to be showcasing designers favorite Garden Party projects and we’re kicking it off with a bang with Guest Designer Krissy McKee.

Krissy is a great friend of Pebbles and has graciously agreed to put together a trio of amazing projects to share with you today, so grab your favorite beverage, sit back, relax and enjoy!

Hi Pebbles fans! My name is Krissy Clark McKee, and I live in a suburb right outside of Houston, Texas. I love anything and everything crafty – scrapbooking, card making, Project Life, upcycling and altering, mini albums, home decor – you name it! My husband and I have six children between the two of us, although all but the youngest two have flown the nest (except for Sunday dinners and occasionally on laundry days). We also have one rambunctious grand-daughter who has us wrapped around her little finger.

Bloom and Grow

My first project is a layout called Bloom and Grow. My 13 year old daughter is growing up right before my eyes. As a young teenager she loves bright colors and anything that has glitter, so this fun spring-themed collection was perfect for a layout about her! The Garden Party Pocket with Inserts is one of the prettiest tag holders I have seen and is just the right size to hold my journaling!

Spring layout featuring Pebbles Inc Garden Party collection

I love for my layouts to have lots of texture and dimension. This was easily achieved by using Pebbles’ self-adhesive butterflies, clothes pins, and glitter foam Thickers.

I also added foam adhesive behind several of my cardstock stickers as well as the small squares I cut from my Poppy patterned paper to balance out the dimension created by the 3-D butterfly and clothes pin.

I am a HUGE fan of layering patterned papers on my layouts. Pebbles is one of my favorite lines because its well-coordinated patterns make it a breeze to layer my papers as much as I want without anything clashing or looking too busy!

Supplies:

Glitter Foam Thickers

Printed Chipboard Thickers

Cardstock Phrase and Accent Stickers

Pockets with Inserts

Dimensional Self-Adhesive Butterflies

Project Life Inspired Layout

I am new to Project Life, but I already LOVE it! I wanted a way to keep track of the mundane day-to-day events in my family’s lives, and I wanted to be able to do something with all of my Instagram pictures. Most are not great quality (and many are selfies simply because this is the year of the selfie); however, I love them and didn’t want them to just sit on my phone where they will become forgotten. Project Life is the perfect solution for me.

Project Life inspired pages using Pebbles Inc. Garden Party collection

I already had square pocket pages made by American Crafts, which are just the right size to hold my Instagram pictures. And although Pebbles’ Garden Party Collection is not specifically geared towards Project Life – the stickers, coordinated papers, envelopes, and journaling tag holders make putting a Project Life spread together a snap!

Just like with my layouts, I love to add a few extra layers to my pockets; and the journaling tags and envelopes included in the Garden Party Collection make layering so easy. I just adhered the envelopes to the top of my page, and I had extra space for journaling without a lot of increased bulk.

Supplies:

Printed Chipboard Thickers

Accents and Phrases Cardstock Stickers

Journaling Pockets with Inserts

3 Dimensional Self Adhesive Flowers

Spring Purse

I was inspired by the Peony paper in the Garden Party Collection, which looks just like a bunch of seed packets. I decided to cut out each image and turn it into a real packet. And what’s better to hold my little paper packets than an equally pretty paper purse?

I used my Silhouette to cut out the purse; however, the packets were made simply by cutting a similar sized 4×6 piece of paper and sewing the sides and bottom to the back of each seed packet paper. I then filled each packet before sewing the top closed.

I filled my packets with small candy treats since they will be given out as party favors at an upcoming party, but they could just as easily be filled with wildflower seeds, gift cards – anything small. The accent and phrases stickers and clothes pins, along with images punched or cut from Garden Party’s Poppy paper, provided the cutest finishing touches!

Supplies: