{A Flair for Buttons}

My cup of Joe

Hi everyone, it's Diane here! I have a confession. Four months ago, I didn't like coffee at all. But, after giving up sodas and my beloved Zipfizz I had to find something to give me that boost I need in the morning and afternoon. Enter coffee! It took me awhile to find the combination of sugar and cream that makes it just right but once I did I was hooked. Now, I look forward to making that cup of coffee in the morning. It's the perfect way to start the day.

I thought it would be fun to make a layout about my new favorite caffeinated beverage, my vice...the thing I must have to function properly!

I had so much fun getting messy with this. I think a layout about coffee should be kind of messy, don't you?

I misted the background using a chevron mask, stitched a funky border of scraps around my layout, distressed my paper layers, added some wood grain washi, added some stamping and finished it all off with my favorite embellishment...FLAIR!

I used the super cute typewriter from the Smash Icons flair and the "need it" from the Smash Words 1 flair.

Do you want to make your own coffee themed layout? Or, perhaps some coffee themed cards or gift tags (how awesome would a card with coffee flair be for giving a gift card to your favorite coffee shop)? We've got you covered! There are some super cute coffee flair sets available at the {a flair for buttons} etsy store; New Coffee 1 Flair, Cup of Coffee Flair, Latte Love Flair and Coffee Flair! So much to choose from...you can see it all in the {a flair for buttons} etsy store!

Keep Calm and Scrap On- A Flair For Buttons helps me get over over-thinking

HIYA FOLKS!

Michelle here!

I have a page I'm SO EXCITED to share!

I managed to wrestle this down despite a HUGE  creative block caused by the mess in my scrap space.

I've been "cleaning and organizing" my scrap space since the first week of January.

Mostly I've been walking in and running out again.

Life has taught me a hard lesson- I need to get better at cleaning up after I scrap.

I also need to find a better filing system for all the little bits and bobs I like to save after I cut a page up.

Here's the page:

Choosing paper to cut, fussy cutting time, hunting down red Basic Grey alphas, deciding what flair buttons to use, adding spaltters when I thought the background was too simple, writing up some meaningful journaling, choosing a photo- 2 hours. Extra time for stitching the ampersand.

 

I only had about 2 hours to come up with something.

I'm the Mom of a 3 year old- two uninterrupted hours are a LUXURY.

I wanted my page to be bright and impactful- I wanted it to be "unique".

I had nothing.

NOTHING!

So I cut word bubbles out the FABULOUS new Crate Paper DYI collection print and stuck them down around this portrait of me taken by the incomperable Louise Nelson.

Wait- you don't know Louise?

Check out her blog- she's my hero. (She'll be embarrased I wrote that- she's modest and somewhat private. Sorry Lou! ) 

Anyway the Basic Grey alphas went on next closely followed by the paper strips because I can't STAND to throw anything yellow or mint green away.

All the while my brain is babbling away:

Wait- is this going to be ok stuck here?

Wait- don't you need more layers?

Wait- how about some triangles?

Wait- isn't this sooo boring?

I decided my scrap persona is a complete nutjob and ignored that inner voice.

My scrap kryptonite? Over thinking my decisions. I decided this would be a great subject to scrap. I've been thinking about my "creative life" a lot lately- how to take it more seriously- how to grow. So I decided to date this page as well- something I rarely do. I'll look back on this later and remember this turning point.

Right before I photographed this page I added the stitched ampersand using the new Amy Tangerine stitching stencil. I love it- lots.

That tiny American Crafts sticker was cute but I decided I needed to go big. I promptly lost my way in the stitching. It happens every single time!!! I even used the stencil to keep strack! Next time I'll trace the shape on the back of the paper- that just occurred to me right the very now.

 In about 2 hours I had a page I loved.

And then this:

I meant to have THREE "Stay Calm" pack buttons on this page!

Proof!

This danged button fell off right before I shot my layout photo! I just found it under my chair. Can you say hot mess? Yeesh!

Thank for swinging by!

Michelle

Flair isn't just for scrapbooking...Custom Flair!

I recently filled an order for a University housing complex that was having a mixer for their residents. I was so impressed with their vision and how they wanted to use my flair that I just HAD to share!!

 

Each resident is going to choose a few flair buttons that describe themselves and wear the pins using pinbacks. Many of the designs that they chose were from some sets that I already had created. But we really had fun making up ones to describe young college students and their likes and dislikes! What a great opportunity for me to share in this  "out side the box" project! I just loved it! I wanted to share because flair buttons are NOT just for us scrappers but really have so many other uses. Fundraisers for events, social events, representing a group or an event, the possiblities are endless! I can coordinate to match your school or groups colors. If you have a logo and would like me to use that I can make it happen! If you know of someone who is looking for a fun and unique way  advertise or include flair for an event please tell them about "A Flair for Buttons"! I do not charge extra for custom orders. Here are some examples of flair I have done. While I can not use copyrighted logos I can do almost anything else you want!

Dina Wakley and Lisa Pace have used my flair buttons to hand out at CHA and other events. I loved Lisa's idea of placing a number on the backside of the flair and then picking a winner for a prize package having drawn that number! I am currently making some flair for my son's fraternity of Greek Week! I send all sample ideas to you to look at and choose before any flair are made or sent. I want to give you what you are looking for! Don't forget I can also make flair for you One Little Word Project or any other project you are creating and in need of a specific word or phrase! Have a great weekend!

I love color- A candy colored {Flair Button} page

Good morning!

I'm fresh off of a great hash session over at Paperclipping Roundtable.

I had a great time talking to fellow guests Tracy Banks, Lain Ehmann and host Noell Hyman.

The topic under discussion was everyday scrapbooking- tune in and laugh along with us.

A recent impromptu outing to Times Square with my husband and one of my oldest friends meant I got some really great (if dark) couple shots.

 

Shelley's new candy colored Project Life buttons with their fantastic colors are a perfect and totally versatile addition to my usually random pages. I'm the family shutterbug so this holding hands photo- if dark- is special.

 

I also wanted to play around with a couple of trends I'm seeing lately- geo tags and Bokeh.

I used the PicFX app for the "bokeh" you see in the photo.

Adding multiple filters means you will lose a lot of detail in your photo so keep the composition simple and try not to shoot at night. (oops!)

 

After some experimenting, I realized I could use multiple trends in this page- a geo tag, vellum confetti (for an analog Bokeh effect) and stitched letters all made it into the page. Trend overload!

 

I wanted to try something a little different so I skipped the digital cutting machine and used buttons to make the geo tag outline.

Flair from the My Life Words 3 pack makes the center and "Love This" from the My Life Words 2 pack focuses the viewer's attention on the photo itself.

I then took the page to "the next level" by trying to stitch a title without one of those great Amy Tangerine letter templates- mistake!

The title is barely visible and the letters are wonky due to uneven spacing BUT I learned a lot about detailed hand stitching so it was worth the effort.

 

Note to self- continuing the twine was a good idea. Using a darker color would have been better. Also? I really need more stitching practice.

 

What are you working on this week?

Share your success and failures- we learn from both!

Michelle

 

Awesome

I've been dying to use the Geotag flair.  We travel a lot so I stock up on anything travel related in the {flair} shop.

I was going through old photos reently and came across a few from a trip to the Grand Canyon long before kids, marriage and the house.  One of our first trips.  Sadly, these were also taken with one of my first digital cameras.  Halfway through the trip the card went bad and I only got a handful of the photos I took.  I lost Sedona and most of the drive to the Canyon.  We haven't been back since.

You can visit my blog to see how I created the title!

~Erica~

{A Flair For Buttons} Storage

Last year on my blog, I wrote a post about the different types of storage I use in my scraproom for my supplies. You can check the post out HERE.

One of the photos was of how I store my {A Flair For Buttons} using some cute little magnetic spice jars I bought from IKEA. Here is what they look like...

Now these containers have worked great, but unfortunately my flair collection has outgrown them, so I have been on the lookout for a new way to store my ever growing collection of buttons.

The answer was an empty Moccona coffee glass jar. With a little bit of paper, inking, sticking and of course some {A Flair For Buttons}, this is what I came up with...

Photo Booth fun

Hey everyone, it's Diane here and I have a really fun photo booth layout to share today!

Doesn't this just scream fun?!  I had just as much fun putting this layout together as I did the night we had the photos taken too!

Here are a few close-ups...

The Photo Booth flair in the shop is perfect for photo booth photos!

I also used the new Ampersand flair set and One Little Word flair set on this layout.

Gather your photo booth photos and some flair from the shop and whip up a fun photo booth layout of your own. 

Going Going GONE! Cardstock destash!

Way back in December I had a brain wave.

I have too much stuff.

Too. much. stuff!

"Oh that's SO EASY! I'll give it away."

I found the perfect after-school program to donate to and filled up 4 boxes with paper and embellishments I no longer liked (mostly because my scrap style has done a complete 360 from when I first started)

The boxes have been sitting in the hallway ever since.

I keep opening them up and taking things back. Theguilt over the money I spent and the nagging feeling that I can still make something out of this stuff keeps pulling me back.

One of the first things I "rescued" was a large stack of cardstock in colors I didn't think I could use.

I decided to keep things super clean and simple design-wise.

Here are the results:

 

I first passed on dark grey because I thought it was too sombre. Then I started noticing all the beautiful blackboard projects on Pinterest. The "Microbial" stencil from Crafter's Workshop has to be one of my all time favorite designs. I finally used some neon pink duct tape and alphas I was "saving"- this page is now a personal favorite.

 

 

I bought this Jenni Bowlin paper on a whim- it sat there for years while I tried to get over how intense the color was. I redid this page 8 times and still don't think it's succesful but the main goal- stash busting- is accomplished.

 

I used the following A Flair For Buttons packs for these pages:

 

Woodgrain Days Of The Week

Hello 2013- 2 flair pack. I LOVE the spray painted look of the numbers on this one

 

What is your main stash busting goal for 2013?

I'd love any pointers on organization- my scrap room has never been this messy!

Have a great week!

Michelle

New Flair....................

Have a great weekend!!! I will be shoveling myself out this morning after our big snow storm!!! :)

Do you like me?

Do you like me? Circle one...yes or no! Do you remember those days? Would you rather forget them, lol?! I remember them all too well, and believe it or not, I've knew my husbands during those days too. I never passed him one of those notes though, I was far too shy.

You can read all about it here...

Between the awkwardness of the pre-teen years and the horrible haircuts, let's just say I'm glad those days are gone! :)

I used flair from the Here & Now Flair set and the Insta Love Flair set. Both of these sets and many more are available in the {a flair for buttons} etsy shop!

I LOVE flair requests!!!

I love it when customers request sets!! Today I am releasing some that were requests and some that were triggered from those requests!! I am currently working on dance and baseball sets so stayed tuned! Thanks for stopping by!

International customers discount code...and Insta Love 2.....

Thanks to the USPS shipping costs for all my international customers  has gone up nearly 100%! To offset this I am offering a standing discount of 10% to ALL international orders. Please use coupon code: " INTERNATIONALFRIENDS". I truly appreciate my international customers and want to help alleviate the added burden that these increased shipping costs have caused! Remember US customers if you spend more than $100 pre-shipping I will give you 10% off (or free sets of your choice). I thank you all for your business and understanding.

Just one new set this weekend: Insta Love 2

Love Buttons

Hi friends! Danielle here with a quick post sharing yet another Valentine's Day card I made. I went a little crazy and made 5 this year. Not sure why, I only have one husband :) Luckily, I have 2 little men in my life to give them to as well.

This is one of my favorites. I stamped the heart strip from this On the Strip stamp set in 2 different colors of Hero Arts Inks (Raspberry Jam and Pale Tomato). I covered a die cut heart with some Rock Candy Distress glitter, sewed on a strip of vellum, added my flair and ta-da! 

 

The 'love' flair comes from the Home 2 set, currently one of my favorites!

Thanks for stopping by!

Danielle

Paying it forward.....

I have really enjoyed my first year designing and creating flair buttons. I never in a million years thought I would have my own store and sell products that I truly love! Etsy has been such a wonderful outlet for my creative adventures and so many others as well. Today I wanted to share with you a store that incorporates my flair into her designs and her products are amazing! I am so honored that she has included my flair and I wanted to share her store "Hobby Lane Designs"!  Erin offers THE cutest mini albums and journals complete with covers, pages, and of course some flair! :)

I so appreciate all of those who have helped to make my little handmade store a success and I am really excited to pay it forward to other small shop owners. I hope you will stop by Erin's store and peruse Etsy at your leisure! There are SO many incredible and talented people creating and crafting! Shop handmade!!! :)

Blog Hop Winners!

The winners of the Blog Hop are:

Orange Gearle!

WOW! Great Blog Hop, love seeing your flair in action. I've been eyeing the "My Life Flair Set 2" and "My Life Words 2"...may have to take advantage of that coupon!

Posted by: orange gearle | 02/09/2013 at 08:35 AM

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And Sun D!

One of my favorites is Oh Happy Day.

Posted by: Sue D | 02/09/2013 at 03:04 PM

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Please email me at kidsmom1999@yahoo.com so I can get your addresses and send you some flair!!!! Thanks to everyone for stopping by! And thank you to my amazing Design Team for always being so fabulous!!! Have a great week!

Blog Hop Fun!

Hopefully you have made it to all the designer's blogs to see the wonderful creations they have come up with for our  Pre-Valentine's Day blog hop! Please leave a comment telling us what your favorite set of flair from "a flair for buttons" is and you may win that set! Comments will be open until Midnight Sunday, February 10, CST. Also please use coupon IHEARTFLAIR for 10% off your entire order!

I made a few goodies boxes to give away using Silhouette file (heart pillow box #37388) some glittered paper and flair! Inside I have placed some dark chocolate Dove candies! YUM! I used flair from "Valentines Day" and "Smash Phrases".

In case you missed someone's blog here they are!!! Enjoy the hop and have a great weekend!

Shelley Haganman

Danielle Walls
Erica Weinstock 

Dayna Howard 

Diane Payne 

Michelle Hernandez 

Megan Klauer 

Jennifer Chapin
A Flair for Buttons

Chalk flair, arrow flair, and a blog hop....

Some new sets are in the shop today! Love the look of chalk and well arrows are always cool! I wanted to let you know we are having a Valentine's Day Blog Hop here at A Flair for Buttons next weekend so please be sure to stop by and see what everyone has created! There will be a giveaway too! :)  Have a great weekend!

 

{get healthy}

Hi there! Jennifer here today. My friend and fellow scrapper Megan Klauer has recently ventured into the world of printables! I was happy to work with one of her new releases to document my journey to fitness this year :) You can visit her Etsy shop here!

I also used some flair on this page. Be sure you check out the shop because Shelley has just added a TON of new flair, a lot that coordinates with the new Project life kits. It is seriously awesome stuff!!!

I used the Krafty 2 and Honey Honey 3 sets for this layout.

This year I have really made a commitment to being healthier. Now that I am done having kids I don't have an excuse anymore. I am tired of that 10 pounds creeping on every year.....I just can't keep doing that to myself.  One of the things that has helped me immensely is that my husband is making that same commitment, so we aren't enabling each other. I have been tracking my calories with My Fitness Pal and using the elliptical for 30 minutes a day. Last night I even did 45 minutes! I was shocked at how easy it was after just 3 weeks of doing this.

Hopefully I've inspired you to create a layout about you and whatever goal you are working on now! You are worth it and someday your kids will treasure that little peek into your life :)

New PL flair is in the shop!

I have several new sets to share with you today. These sets coordinate with PL Cinnamon and Midnight collections but seriously would work with all sorts of projects. If you can't tell I am a little obsessed with this font! :) These sets are currently available in the shop! I am still working on more so will introduce those in a few days! Enjoy!

HOME set 1&2:

MINIMAL set 1&2:

One Little Word Flair Charm Bracelet

Flair is awesome on scrapbook pages, cards, tags, treat containers and can even be used as magnets, but did you know you can make charm bracelets with flair? It's true!

When I saw the One Little Word 2013 Flair set in the shop, I knew I wanted to use some of the flair to make a charm bracelet with all my one little words up through this year. 

I've been admiring those cute charm bracelets online for years and now I have my very own...with flair!

I can't wait to wear this tomorrow! :)

This set of flair is also great for documenting your one little words over the years in your scrapbooks too, like I did here on this layout.

You can get this set (and so many more) in the shop! Go check it out...there have been a lot of new additions in the last 2-3 weeks.

New Shipping prices....

As many of you may or may not know the USPS is increasing their shipping costs once again on January 27, 2013. I will do my best to keep your shipping costs down but am very disappointed that I am going to have to increase both domestic and International rates to keep up with the increase. The International customers will see the largest increase and for that I am so sorry. I hope you will continue to shop with me and I will work hard to charge my international/domestic customers for what it costs me to ship your items to you. This is the lastest information I have from Etsy regarding new shipping increases. It actually makes my stomach sick to see this. "Most domestic mail classes will see a 3-5% rate increase across the board. The most significant increases you’ll see are in International First Class Postage and International Priority, primarily in smaller packages. Postage in these classes will increase by as much as 100% or more in some cases." 

Happy Halloween!

I'm the Queen of holiday projects are any time of the year besides when that holiday resides.

Sorry!  Its a good thing I don't scrap in chronological order.

I threw this mini album together a copuple of weeks ago (when I was trying to avoid working on my December Daily).

I used buttons from various Halloween and Fall sets in the shop as well as a chevron button.  See the rest of the albun on my blog.  

The shop carries these sets and more!  

Road Trip

In December we took a family trip which involved a 12 hour drive each way. It was a perfect opportunity for me to play with all the camera apps on my iPhone. I ended up with some really fun and funky photos that I had to scrap.

I may have gotten carried away with the bokeh effects! :)

I used the Road Trip 1 Flair set and the Sherbert Triangles Flair set...perfect for a road trip layout! You can pick up these sets and lots of fabulous new sets in the shop.

Capturing the Best of the holidays- December Daily Mini

Hello there!

Today I want to share a couple of pages from my December Daily album.

Last year I finished my album a couple of days after December 31st but this year's album explores a new design aesthetic for me so I'm taking things a little slower.

I am using the following A Flair For Buttons packs in this year's book:

• Rock On Flair 1
• Sunburst White and Color pack
• Photo Booth Pack
• Triangles Kraft and Color Flair

This year's book uses low color saturation photos and a lot of negative space. My limited color palette still provided so many items that I have enough materials for 4 or 5 mini albums.

This page slowly emerged after a particularly distressing wrestling match with my stencils. Sometimes trusting the process (not your inner worry-wart) is best.

I confess- my photos are completely out of order. Artistic license! 10 years from now will I really care that my girl's day out happened on the 17th not the 10th?

My main problem with red mist is that it looks like- well- murder. So I tend to avoid it. I think I found a way to use it without freaking myself out.

I haven't decided how I will bind my book just yet.

Last year's loose ring binding was a disaster.

Pages kept falling out or losing embellishments.

I'm thinking book binding tape and a hard plastic cover will hold up better with time (and repeated toddler viewings).

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

 

 

December Daily

I'm sure most of you have finished and filed away your DD by now but humor me.  I take forever to finish mine.  Shelley created some Elf on the Shelf buttons this year and I grabbed those as soon as they hit the shop!

My son loves our elf, Ziggy and for the past 2 years I've searched high and low for fun things to do with our elf.  Yes, I'm one of those crazy moms that must do something crafty and fun with the elf each night.  I can't just simple move him.

To document the Elf adventures, I make a mini album filled with pictures that our elf has 'staged'. 

We call this 'Gettin' giggy with Ziggy'.  (2012 flair is available in the shop as well.)

The 'Document' button is also available in the shop.  These are not part of the Elf set but matched the album.

But this one is! 

You can see more of my elf album on my blog HERE.

When the shop reopens on the 21st, you can grab some new flair!

one little word...yes!

Hello everyone! I hope the New Year is off to a good start for you. Every year I pick a word (one little word) to keep me on track with my goals for the year. This year my word is Yes!

Creating a layout around my word helps me keep focused on why I chose it, as well as, explaining its purpose for generations to come. I thought I would have a little fun with the layout this year and used some props and enlisted the help of my teenage son for taking some pics of me. I look silly...no laughing!

I used the One Little Word 2013 flair, which was perfect for documenting my word.

You can pick-up this set and so many more in the {a flair for buttons} shop. Lots of new sets have been added recently...head over to the shop and check it out!

New sets in the shop.....

These new sets have colors that will coordinate with the new Project Life set ( Kraft and Honey) coming soon! I kept them fairly generic so they would work with a variety of themes and projects! Thanks for stopping by!

KRAFTY:

HONEY HONEY 1,2, and 3:

Birthday's can be scary!

I was looking for something masculine to create a card with and I came across these new hockey buttons that Shelley created.

My friend is a goalie so this was perfect.  I searched the internet for a cute hockey related saying and came up with 'Birthday's don't scare me....I'm a goalie!'

I grabbed some black and white papers (same colors as our favorite team) and added some October Afternoon alphas.  I used the button as the 'o' in Goalie.

My friend loved it!

I saved the rest of this set for some pages about my little hockey player!  I'll share those soon!

The shop is closed until the 21st but you can grab your hockey set here when it reopens!  

Hello there!

December was fantastic but I'm glad 2012 is over.

It was a year of upheaval for our family.

Jobs lost and new ones gained.

Schedules torn assunder.

Throughout I tried to keep focus on what was important.

1 man. 1 woman. 1 child.

The page started out as a super clean and simple design with just the center photo but I kept adding to the design. I also ran out of "s" letters so I had to change the lyrics a bit.

 

It's easy to let the pressure get to you and even easier to turn on each other when you feel the situation is out of your control.

So I made a page using song lyrics from a song that's currently on "repeat" on my ipod.

I love these Studio Calico alphas but they are a royal pain to get straight on a page!

I played around with the Crate Paper collection and made a page to hang on my wall and remind myself that 2012 was crazy but our family found ways to stay connected.

 

I used two of my favorite flair sets- Photo booth and Sunburst on white.

I used the following A Flair For Buttons set of this page:

 

Photobooth Flair Set 

Sunburst White and Color set

2013 is here and I welcome the new challenge.

Schedules change, work gets demanding but fun should never take back seat.

Michelle

A few more "My Life" sets....

Before I head away to sunny skies and white sand beaches next weekend I wanted to get these "My Life" word sets in the store. The colors coordinate with Project Life (Celmentine, Seafoam, and Simple Stories "Snap")

And don't forget to check out the other "My Life" sets!