We are so excited to introduce our Naturals Mixed Media Guest Designer Liz Hicks.  Liz is an artist who has been working in the craft industry for a long time and we thought it would be fun to feature a few of her projects that will inspire you to get out your paints, mists, glitter and other art supplies to alter and add our Naturals to many of your own projects.  But first, let's get to know Liz a little bit before we take a look at her wall art idea...

LYB: What are your favorite types of projects—pages, mini albums, cards, altered projects, etc?

LH: Canvas or altered art

LYB: Any unique tips or techniques you use?

LH: I love layering in a peek-a-boo style… this offers visual interest and keeps my crafting interesting.

LYB: How long does it typically take you to complete a layout?

LH: An hour or so… depends on how organized my studio is.

Children's Wall Art by Liz Hicks

My daughter helped me come up with this concept as a fun canvas to hang on her wall.  I kept the design simple with a few spots of color from the Just Because collection.   I also thought it would be fun to use foam stickers as the background for the paper hearts.

Tip:  Don't be afraid to use spray paint on your projects.  I spray painted the hearts white and used the patterned paper along with Silver Inka Gold by Viva Colour to accent the canvas.  I also used smooch glitz in silver to accent as well.  The LYB canvas alphabets also add great texture and can be easily painted to compliment your project.

Shop LYB Products:

JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)

AS-200 Canvas Alpha Stickers

NA-BF50 Layered Burlap Flowers - Daisy

We'll be back next week with a few more projects from Liz, but in the meantime please visit her blog for more of her inspiring ideas and techiniques.

Have a wonderful and crafty weekend!

What do you have in your pocket today?  Little Yellow Bicycle includes really fun pockets in most of our collections.  We challenged our Design Team to include some of our pockets in their projects and we are pretty excited about what they came up with...

The Escape Collection Layout by Jen Chesnick

Sometimes you have to think outside of the box with your supplies.  I am huge fan of pockets and tags, but the 5 things for the Escape line just didn't fit my page.  I chose to alter the pocket by cutting the back down and using it as my major embellishment to tuck little bits into.  I used the extra flag to weigh down my title.

Jen included our 5 Things Pocket from The Escape Collection.  This is what it looked like before you altered it to fit in with her project idea.

Shop LYB Products:

ESC-105 Big City/Click - Yellow
ESC-308 5 Things Pocket - with embossing (11 pieces)
ESC-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with thermography and debossing (67 pieces)
ESC-160 Vellum Tape Strips (8 pieces)
ESC-1100 Tear Out Ticket & Journaling Card Book - with embossing (24 pieces)
ESC-230 Clear Cuts Shapes (26 pieces)
ESC-133 6" x 6" Decorative Edge Double-sided Textured Cardstock - with thermography (5 pieces)
ESC-122 12" x 12" Decorative Edge Textured Cardstock - with embossing
ESC-220 Fabric Favorites - self adhesive (15 pieces)
NA-TC20 Tiny Clothespins - Words
NA-SP30 Stick Pins - Cork Flowers
NA-CW20 Canvas Words - Style 2

Pocket Gift Card Holder by Suzanne Sergi

I decided to use these pockets in a different way than they are intended. I thought they were perfect for tucking in gift  cards to a special person. I layered the Just Because journaling pocket onto two pieces of vellum that I stitched together. There is an opening at the top. Another way to enclose a card, or special treat. I also stitched along the journaling pocket to add a homemade touch.

I love the Burlap flowers, and use a large one that I used to embellish the pocket. I also pulled out the scallop canvas circles to layer chipboard hearts on top of them. First I stamped the canvas  circles to dress them up a bit. I also pulled out one of the new stamps, to include my sentiment along the bottom.

Shop LYB Products:
NA-TC20 Tiny Clothespins Words
NA-BF50 Layered Burlap Flowers-Daisy
NA-CVH10 Canvas Shapes Scallop Circles
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-308 10 Things Pocket with embossing (17 pieces)
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes-with foil accents
CSS-104 Cling Word Stamps-Faith

Pocket Gift Card Holder by Suzanne Sergi

I pulled out my Making the Grade 6x6 paper pad, and journaling pocket for this next gift card idea. Here I dressed up this cute notebook paper bag, to layer the pocket onto. This time I embellished the inside of the pocket with the fun alphabet pattern found in the 6x6 paper pad. Tucked in some tickets from the Tear Out Ticket & Journaling Card Book. I used one of the pinwheels, and embellished with a circle that I embossed. Also found in the papercrafting kit with this collection. I dressed this bag a bit more using the chipboard banner, and the  adorable fabric owl.  I finished the edge of the bag with a red stitch, and using a punch, punched the edges to give that torn look of paper.  Now you have a gift  bag, with two different options of tucking in special items to one very lucky person!

Shop LYB Products:

MG-167 Cork Word & Shape Stickers
MG-305 Paper Crafting Kit
MG-308 5 Things Pocket with embossing
MG-304 6x6 Paper Pad
MG-230 Chipboard Shapes
MG-220 Fabric Favorites

Be sure to check out our online store for pockets to create your own wonderful project ideas!

It's Monday and we have been scouring the Internet all morning looking for projects from our fans.  AND we are so happy with what we found. Take a look...

Just Because Layout by Renee Zwirek

Emailed to us

Just Because Layout by ekskou

Found at Two Peas in a Bucket

Just Because Layout by Deraslee

Found at scrapbook.com

The designers at My Creative Scrapbook Kit Club have been busy working with our Just Because collection in one of their latest kit.  See some of their designs below or visit the MCS gallery for more ideas...

Layout by Jodi Baune

Layout by Delaina Burns

Layout by Erica Houghton

 You can still find this collection at your LSS or out online store.  Click HERE for details...

ALSO - for those of you playing along in our Naturals Contest, the deadline was extended through today.

Happy Monday!

 

How are you including our Naturals embellishments and Clear Stamps into your day to day memory keeping?  We know that everyone gets busy with life and even though many people would like to record their memories in a beautiful and elaborate scrapbook, there isn't always the time. 

 

Today we want to show you some simple ideas for using photo sleeves or divided sheet protectors and Little Yellow Bicycle products to quickly document a day in the life...  Not to mention that the Clear Stamps and Ranger Ink totally enhanced the look of this project, were easy to use, and included the right kind of sentiments.

 

This is basically a mini 4x6 layout with the Vacation Clear Stamps as the focus.  I grabbed my Makin' the Grade 6 x 6 paper pad, a fun notebook punch and some of the cork and canvas Naturals embellishments.

Album Page by Liz Qualman

On most of the stamping, I used the Ranger Archival Ink, because it is so clear and true, but on this Naturals canvas tag, I used Tim's Distress Ink in Faded Jeans for a little rougher texture and color that would go well with the whole concept of the poject.  I also had to add one of the little Ranger Idea-ology fasteners shaped like a hanger.

That blue alphabet is part of our Naturals canvas alphabets and it comes in both upper and lowercase letters.  It's so striking with the red Archival Ink.  Again, cork is such a great surface for stamping like on the little star.

These Naturals burlap hearts are so stinkin' cute!  I used some of the Tim Holtz stains to die the largest one and then stamped the sentiments on the other two with black Archival Ink and added a couple of the Idea-ology Memo Pins.

This particular sheet protector is by Becky Higgins and consists of 3x4 and 4x6 inch sleeves.  There are many different manufacturers of these types of photo sleeves, but I chose Becky's because you can order them from Amazon.com Prime, which means I had them in 2 days, free shipping, not bad.

This is a long product list, but I have so much left in each package to keep going with the same themes...

Prizes: We are going to giveaway 2 big boxes of our Naturals on each Friday of the next two weeks (March 8th and 15th).  Just leave a comment here on the blog and/or on our facebook (maybe do both just to be safe) to enter to win. Leave a comment each day and increase your chances. 

AND we are giving away a set of stamps each day on each of our social sites: Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Leave a comment at each of those sites each day and increase your chances to win some of our amazing stamps.

Also, be sure to visit our friends at Ranger Ink on their facebook page.  They have wonderful inspiration to share on their FB and blog each day.  Check it out.

Don't forget... to use all of the inspiration from our Design Team to enter our Naturals Contest.  See details HERE.

We'll be back next week with more projects.  Have a great weekend and happy crafting!

We continue to show you another side of Little Yellow Bicycle by showcasing our Naturals collection and Clear Stamps with Tim Holtz inks, stains and paint from Ranger Ink.  Our design team will share a simple and clever way to include our Naturals and Stamps into their everyday lives and we hope to inspire you to add some Naturals into your lives.  Plus there are prizes, see the fine print at the end...

Today Lisa Swift shares her brilliant idea, but let's have her tell you all about it...

Upcycled Bottles by Lisa Swift

I am far from an expert on stamping, so I have to admit I was a bit intimidated by the wonderful products I received from Tim Holtz/Ranger. Once I started experimenting and getting inky though, I had a blast, fell in love and created a decorative set of upcycled glass bottles.  I wrapped each bottle with a band of burlap and then wound some of the Jute Naturals over the burlap. The burlap and jute create such nice texture together.

For the canvas flowers, I used Little Yellow Bicycle's new clear stamps  (the Everyday set) to repeatedly stamp some of the smaller words onto the flower petals (using Ranger Ink's Archival Ink in Jet Black). I also used Tim Holtz Distress Stain on the edge of the burlap leaves to give them some depth.
I stamped some of the larger words (also from the Everyday set) onto white cardstock, cut them out and added one to each bottle.
In order to draw the eye up to the top of the bottles I used Tim Holtz Ideology memo pins in the cork of the yellow bottle to hold a canvas sentiment (from the Just Because collection) and tucked another pin behind the burlap on the blue bottle to hold a sticker (from the Just Because collection). I didn't want all three bottles to have exactly the same embellishments, so my husband coiled some copper wire for me to use around the neck of the smallest bottle. The sturdy wire perch is the perfect spot for a felt bird (from the Naturals collection).
I have to say how much I loved the opportunity to play with Ranger's products. The Archival Ink pad colors are true and vibrant, the drying time is quick, quick, quick and the final stamped image is complete and flawless. The Distress Stains were perfect for adding a bit of color to the burlap leaves on my project, and the memo pins were great for a little finishing touch.

LYB Products:

NA-JT20 Jute Pack - Bright
NA-BF50 Layered Burlap Flowers - Daisy
NA-BS20 Layered Burlap Stickers - Nature
NA-BS10 Layered Burlap Stickers - Tags
CSS-101 Cling Word Stamps - Everyday
JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse
JB-201 Canvas Stickers

Prizes: We are going to giveaway 2 big boxes of our Naturals on each Friday of the next two weeks (March 8th and 15th).  Just leave a comment here on the blog and/or on our facebook (maybe do both just to be safe) to enter to win. Leave a comment each day and increase your chances. 

AND we are giving away a set of stamps each day on each of our social sites: Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Leave a comment at each of those sites each day and increase your chances to win some of our amazing stamps.

Also, be sure to visit our friends at Ranger Ink on their facebook page. They made their goal of 10,000 fans, because our fans are AMAZING and helped push them over the mark.  I bet they will be celebrating soon, so keep an eye on them...

Don't forget... to use all of the inspiration from our Design Team to enter our Naturals Contest.  See details HERE.

Happy Tuesday!

We have been so happy with how well our Just Because collection works as an everyday collection.  Today Biker Chick Suzanne Sergi shares a special page about her eldest daughter and we think this collection really hit the mark for the content of the layout, but let's have Suzanne tell you all about it...

Just Because Layout by Suzanne Sergi

I was inspired to use the quote from the Just Be You Bands & Linen paper as the title for my page. My daughter is no longer a little girl, and is growing up to be such a lovely young lady. She is full of personality, and I wanted to create a simple page that truly captured her.

I wanted to use the chipboard poloroid frames found in the Chipboard Shapes. They are perfect to highlight a photo, but on this page I used them to create a cluster of embellishments to accent my photo. One of the frames highlights part of the quote. I used the new vellum film strip across the bottom of the frame. I then layered two chipboard hearts on top.

In another frame I used the heart sticker that matched perfectly with the Valentine candy lollipop my daughter is holding. Love when things like that happen!  I created a pinwheel flower to layer on top of the heart sticker. A vellum phrase was layered underneath.

In the final frame I added a couple of doily accents found in the paper crafting kit. A pretty pin, and word sticker were the final details.

Just Because Products:

JB-102 Just Be You Bands/Linen & Lace - Gray

JB-105 Scallop Stripe/Lotsa Love

JB-109 Tiny Blossoms, Birds & Blooms

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

JB 160 - Vellum Tape (15 pieces)

JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)

Mini Contest: Come follow us on Twitter and/or Instagram @lovemylyb and you will be entered into a giveaway for these Brand NEW Clear Stamps.  Aren't these AWESOME! You cannot believe how big some of the words are and they are all individual stamps so they can easily mix and match.  You can find these gorgeous stamps at your local scrapbook store and Hobby Lobby or order them from our online store.  We will draw for winners tomorrow!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Been thinking about what to do with all that vellum tape in your stash?  Our Biker Chicks put together some clever ways to use our vellum and we hope their ideas will inspire you to tape it up...

Vellum Tape Flowers by Lisa Swift

1. Start off with a punched cardstock circle. This one has a 1 1/2" base.

2. Adhere a 12" strip of vellum tape to a 12" piece of white cardstock (cut the cardstock to match the width of the tape before adhering or trim it afterwards). This will make for a sturdy material to work with. If you'd like something a bit more flexible, you could use white copy paper.

3. Cut 2" strips from the vellum tape. Roll each strip over a pencil (or other slim, round object) to soften the cardstock and make it easier to manipulate. Fold the 2" piece of tape in half, end to end. Adhere on the inside using Glue Dots or other strong adhesive.

4. Adhere these "petals" to the punched circle, layering as you go. Again, you can use Glue Dots because they help keep the petals flexible so you can play with the spacing between them.

5. Embellish the center as desired. I used pieces from the Paper Crafting Kit and a Fresh Verse sticker.

Just Because Products:

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)
JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse
JB 160 - Vellum Tape
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit

Vellum Sketch Book by Heather Leopard

I created this journaling book, which I actually plan to use as my new sketch book. I started with a plain chipboard bound book. I really wanted to make my sketchbook unique so I enlisted my hubby's workshop skills and had him drill different sized holes into the cover.  I then layered the vellum tape vertically over the cover, cutting around the holes. Once it was fully covered, I added accent strips in various sizes to give it a little more texture & dimension.

Then, I placed a white sheet of paper inside the front page of the book so that it would show through the front of the cover. I closed the cover and traced circles on the white sheet. This allowed me to see where to place the vellum tape so that it would show through the cover. I laid the vellum over the circles in horizontal and diagonal patterns and then adhered the white sheet to the inside front cover.

Lastly, I covered the pen in vellum tape and went about decorating the front page. I plan to do some art journaling/doodling to the rest of the front page as well.

LYB Products:
Just Because Collection Vellum Tape JB-160
Just Because Collection Vellum Tape JB-161
Escape Collection Vellum Tape ESC-160
Once Upon a Christmas Collection Vellum Tape OC-160
Splash Collection Vellum Tape SPL-160
Naturals Burlap Stickers Tags NA-BS10

Vellum Covered Acrylic Album by Jen Chesnick

Sometimes simple is best.  For this album I chose to just accent the front acrylic piece with vellum tape.  It might be the most simple album cover I have ever made.  The phrase stickers are still an all time favorite of mine.  The vellum is nice because sticks so well and will not curl up on the edges.  It also doesn't show any glue on the backside, so using on acrylic where you will see the other side is perfect!

LYB Products:

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)
JB 160 - Vellum Tape (15 pieces)
JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)
JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)
JB-201 Canvas Stickers (15 pieces)
NA-TC10 Tiny Clothespins - Flowers
NA-CVT10 Canvas Tags

Please visit Jen's blog Say Chez! for more of her album and details.

Have a great day!

How about a fun mini album from Cycling Team Member Renee Zwirek?  She has really brought out some fun details from our Just Because collection and especially our awesome Paper Crafting Kit.  But Let's have Renee tell you a little bit about it...

Hello, LYB Fans! I'm thrilled to be back again and to work with such a wonderful collection. The Just Because collection has a lovely combination of colors and patterns that immediately draw you in. I have to admit that when I first saw this collection...I went nuts about all the red. So, I definitely wanted to make another mini album. Using some of my favorite photos from last year, I combined them with a playful mix of the designs on the papers and the embellishments. Hope you enjoy flipping through this album. I loved creating it!

Please visit Renee's blog Pretty PLZ for more details and photos of her wonderful mini album.

Just Because Products:
 
JB-101 Bicycle Bliss/FlowerDot
JB-102 Just Be You Bands/Linen & Lace - Gray
JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua
JB-104 Full Bloom/Pin Stripe - Gray
JB-106 Diamond Doily/Loops & Stitches
JB-109 Tiny Blossoms, Birds & Blooms
JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)
JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)
JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)
JB 160 - Vellum Tape (15 pieces)
JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)
JB-201 Canvas Stickers (15 pieces)
JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)
JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

Don't forget to stop by the LYB Store and pick up some goodies.  All of our Just Because collection is still available.

Have a wonderful day!

We loved all of the entries for our February Sketch Challenge and it was so hard to three finalists.  However, the three pages below really stood out to us as a great use of our sketch and products...

 Just Because Layout by Melissa Rehberg

We love how Melissa changed around the sketch and added the same little Valentine icon that was part of her son's card on the actual layout.  Now the handmade cards are documented forever.

Escape Layout by Lisa Moen

We love how Lisa chose The Escape collection to document these great travel/outing photos.  AND we especially love how she translated the sketch into another collection and the content of her photos.

 Just Because Layout by Melisa Alzammar

We love the photos that Melisa Alzammar chose for her layout that follows the sketch pretty closely, but takes on a personality of its own with the photos.

Each of these ladies will receive a prize pack, but it's time for our fans to vote on who should get 1st prize.  You can vote here on our blog in the comments or on our Facebook and we'll let the 1st place winner know by the end of the week.

Have we said lately how much we love our fans?  Well, we do and we love it when you share your projects with us.  We we so impressed that Sue Eldred at Sue's Creative Workshop shared 4 projects recently that we thought we would feature all of them here on the blog.

Just Because Layout by Sue Eldred

Just Because Layout by Sue Eldred

Just Because Treats by Sue Eldred

Just Because Card by Sue Eldred

Don't forget about our Naturals Contest.  You can find our Naturals at your LSS, Michaels or at our online store.  We cannot wait to see what you come up with.  Please find the details HERE.

Happy Monday!

Did you see the gorgeous everyday pages from yesterday with our Just Because collection?  Today Biker Chick Tania Willis shares another fun page that is a perfect mix of our Just Because collection and our Naturals.

Just Because Layout by Tania Willis

Layering up the base of your layout with simply cut pieces of patterned paper and pages pulled from the 6x6 paper tablet helps give the illusion of a very fussy/time consuming layout.  After quickly adding visual interest with the variety of papers, add an additional bold layer with the use of a contrasting canvas border.
To add a little more substance to the Zig Zag Round Cork Shape giving it a ruffled layered peeking out from behind, I peeled away a border sticker strip from the Favorite Pieces Cardstock Stickers, adhered one end to the back of the cork shape with a mini glue dot, and then pinched and pleated the sticker, adding additional glue dots where necessary, all the way around the cork. This can be done with a sticker or even with the vellum tape strips.

Just Because collection:

JB – 104 Pin Stripe – Gray
JB – 103 Tiny Stripe – Aqua
JB – 277 Stick Pins
JB – 136 Favorite Pieces Stickers – Love
JB – 135 Favorite Pieces Stickers
JB – 304 6x6 Paper Pad
NA-TC10 Tiny Clothespins – Words
NA-WB20 Wood Buttons – Etched
NA-BF10 Layered Burlap Flowers
NA-CRH20 Cork Shapes – Zig Zag Rounds
NA-CVB10 Canvas Borders – Style 1
NA-CW20 Canvas Words – Style 2

Check out our Naturals contest!  We have 4 exciting categories that will excite the crafter in all of us...  See the details HERE.

Have a wonderful day!

Now that Valentine's Day is a distant memory, its time to show the amazing versatility of our Just Because collection.  Biker Chicks Robbie Herring and Corrie Jones show us how to make a gorgeous everyday page with our current favorite collection... 

Just Because Layout by Robbie Herring

All the bright and beautiful elements in the Just Because Collection make me want to use them all the time!  Add in some of the new Naturals and it's a match made in heaven!

This photo of my daughter and her friend was a natural fit with this collection.  There are so many elements that reference friendship.  Because these girls have been friends since they were 4 years old, it seems to them that they have known each other always.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Naturals buttons and flowers!!!  With the buttons in the centers of the flowers, I couldn't resist adding some of the other wood buttons.

Tip:  Try mixing Naturals borders with other borders for different textures.   I layered the Naturals Canvas Border with one of the Just Because Canvas Borders and finished it off with a sticker border.

Just Becuase Products:
JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua
JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)
JB-201 Canvas Stickers (15 pieces)
JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)
NA-BF60 Layered Burlap Flowers - Zinnia
NA-CVB10 Canvas Borders - Style 1
NA-WB10 Wood Buttons

Just Because Layout by Corrie Jones

I love the cool colors of Just Because.  The red pops of color are just the perfect accent color too.  It was easy for me to make a page about just an everyday moment with the colors and embellishments in this collection.  I do not have a story of anything in particular with this photo.  Honestly I would have to look it up in my photo archives to even know when it was taken.  But I love that it is my little girls sweet, silly face.  I love that I can feel in my heart how much I love her just by looking at it.  It probably is only something I will ever "get" when I see this page, but I don't care.  It is for me and I love that it is just how I feel everyday for her.
Just Because Products:

JB-101 Bicycle Bliss
JB-102 Just Be You Bands
JB-103 Linen & Lace
JB-104 Full Bloom
JB-106 Diamond Doily
JB-107 Let's Do Coffee
JB-108 Pretty Paisley
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-308 10 Things Pocket
JB-279 Chipboard Pieces
JB-230 Clear Cuts

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

It's a pleasure to have Cycling Team Member Tamara Tripodi back again.  We are always surpirsed by her creative genius and today's project is so much fun.  But, let's have Tamara tell you all about it...

Hello! Thank you so much LYB for having me! I was so excited to be able to work with the gorgeous Just Because collection! It's color palette is beautiful and the patterns and embellishments are so unique. Immediately when I saw this collection I thought of 'tea time'. I just HAD to create a tea inspired project.. and what better than a teacup?! This project (cup and saucer) is completely die cut with SVG Cuts files.

It's amazing what you can do with digital cutting machine! I added a little dowel with some rosettes, stick pins, foil heart, bow and a little birdie. Makes a perfect way to present a little gift or treats.

"I am always drawn to LYB's vellum strips. They're like crafting candy to me because they are so different than all the other usual embellishments out there. Plus I am a huge vellum paper fan. I just love the look of it on projects, so when you can get them in strips with cute prints on them, how could you resist? I created this 'love' card perfect for an anniversary, Wedding, etc."

 
I hope you've enjoyed these projects as much as I have enjoyed creating and sharing them with you all!

Just Because Products:

JB-109 Tiny Blossoms, Birds & Blooms

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)

JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)

JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)

Please be sure to visit Tamara's blog Happy Life, Crafty Wife for more of her crafty thoughts.

Also check out our new Naturals Contest.  See the blog post for details.

Have a wonderful day!

We are hope that you all have some fun, sentimental or romantic activities planned for this day of love and appreciation.  Over the last two weeks our Biker Chicks and Cycling Team members have given you some ideas that we hope were inspiring, but today we just want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!

I Love You Card by Heather Leopard

I just adore the journaling tags and I wanted showcase this one on the card so I wrapped it in a small doily with twine and stick pins and added a pretty paper rosette. The base of the card is quite simple to re-create - just adhere two pieces of pattern paper together and add vellum tape to the seam where they meet. Add your sentiment and embellishments and your card is complete.

Love Card by Heather Leopard

I wanted to keep this card simple. To create it, I simply cut out three hearts, faux stitched around them and then using foam dots, I added different pattern papers behind them. Lastly, I adhered vellum tapes to the square card, added a strip of pattern paper and then overlayed the "LOVE" stickers.

Card Storage Box by Heather Leopard

I decided that this card needed something more so I used my CAMEO to cut this box. I filled the negative portion of the box with different pieces of pattern paper and then embellished the lid. The card is a perfect fit. You can't see it in the photo but I actually shredded some pattern paper, for the card and some candy to rest on. I'm really excited to give this to my someone special.
Just Because Products:
JB-108 Pretty Paisley/String of Beads 12x12 paper
JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua 12x12 Paper
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes

JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit
JB-134 Journaling Cards
JB-277 Stick Pins

JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love

 Valentine Cards and Stacking Gift Boxes by Liz Qualman

This is a little ensemble of cards and gift boxes perfect for candy, chocolate or other sweet and romantic gifts.  I found some nesting boxes in my gift wrap stash and recovered them with the Just Because Collection.

The bright, happy colors are a wonderful contrast to the Naturals layered burlap hearts.  I added just the one to the top box for some added flair.

I really love the paper crafting kits that come with each LYB collection.  I added one of the Naturals cork heart pins to go along with the Just Because heart pin.
It's really fun to layer chipboard elements with journal cards, fresh verse stickers and favortie pieces. 

Please visit my blog for more details.

Just Because Products:

JB-101 Bicycle Bliss/FlowerDot

JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua

JB-105 Scallop Stripe/Lotsa Love

JB-109 Tiny Blossoms, Birds & Blooms

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)

JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

Cards by Corrie Jones

I love the Just Because line for Valentine's Day cards.  It has the traditional red and pink, but the colors really pop because of the dark blue and aqua.  It is an incredibly fun color combination and adds a little bit of playfulness to the "Love" theme.

Just Because Products:
 - JB-277 Stick Pins
 - JB-136 Cardstock Stickers Favorite Pieces/Love
 - JB-160 Vellum Tape
 - JB-161 Vellum Tape Love
 - JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
 - Naturals!

Have a wonderful and romantic day!

Ready for tomorrow night?  Thinking about how you can turn dinner for two into a festive event.  Biker Chick Jen Chesnick shows us how to decorate the table to make a romantic feast for two into a really special event using our Just Because collection.

Valentine Table Setting by Jen Chesnick

Happy Valentines Day!!  Have a special dinner planned for your sweetie?  I have some ideas for you that will help your spice up your table!  The first item on the table and most noticeable is the centerpiece. 

I created a small scale banner using journaling tags, stickers and cut tags.  I've attached the banner on our new naturals collection jute along with the new naturals clothespins  
I had these ball jars handy so I filled them with candy to hold my dowels.  I wrapped them with some left over papers and shapes just to dress them up.

Flanking the banner are 3 simple square boxes.  I cut them out and lined the openings with vellum.  I dropped battery operated tea lights in them to pump up the romance factor! 

The menu stands could easily be swapped out for place cards.  My menu consists of cake and well maybe some more cake.

Small dressed up pockets complete my place setting.  Simple and sweet and easily adaptable for any occasion.

Just Because Products:

JB-106 Diamond Doily/Loops & Stitches
JB-104 Full Bloom/Pin Stripe - Gray
JB-108 Pretty Paisley/Strings of Beads
JB-105 Scallop Stripe/Lotsa Love
JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)
JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)
JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)
JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)

JB Miniature Clothespins
NA-JT20 Jute Pack - Bright (4 colors, 72" each)

Is this not the coolest idea for a fun decorative table.  I can see how these techniques could be easily done for a birthday party.  Be sure to visit Jen's blog Say Chez! for more of her inspiring ideas!

Halfway through the week!

Today Biker Chick Robbie Herring shares a treat idea for those of us slackers who have waited until the last minute to get anything ready for the big day...

Valentine Treats by Robbie Herring

Last week, one of my Facebook friends commented about how she found out about something her child needed for school the next day.  When did she find out?  Why, the night before, of course!   This is my answer to that for Valentine's Day!
This one is made with a heart cookie cutter.  I doubt that I spent more than 5 minutes on it.  I just used the Little Yellow Bicycle Vellum tape on the outside, popped it in a bag and tied a bow at the top.  To add a bit more detail, I punched a hole in a Clear Cut, added a tiny jewel and tied it to the top.
 
Tip:  Cookie Cutters can be found in several places around each of the holidays.  Try checking your local craft store, grocery store or even discount stores.
This one is another super quick one.  I had these clear cups on hand.   I just punched a border from paper and adhered it to the bottom of the cup.  Next, I wrapped a sticker border along the very bottom border.  For the tie-on, I used a couple of pieces of chipboard and another tiny jewel.
 
Tip:  If you take a closer look, you can see that to make the border fit better along the bottom of the cut, I scored it on the bottom side and then clipped between the scallops.
This one is a bit more time consuming, but still very easy and quick.  For it, I used a clear transparency sheet.  It also takes very limited supplies.  I punched a couple of 12 inch strips and a thin piece of paper for the edges.  Working while it was flat, I added the borders to the edges.  Next up, I taped it together to make the cylinder.  Put your candy in another clear bag that is already inside the cylinder.  Tie a bow on the open end to close.  On the closed end of the bag, tie a bow and then clip the edges.  Finsh off with a punched heart, a little heart sticker and another tiny jewel.
 
Tip:  You can get 4 to six of these out of each single sheet of transparency paper.  One sheet goes a long way!  Also, make sure that the edge you are adding the borders too is no more than 6 inches.  This will save you time by making each punched strip work for two sides.

Just Because Products:
JB-108 Pretty Paisley/Strings of Beads
JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua
JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)
JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)
JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

Have a wonderful day!

Today we have some fun ideas to decoreate your home for a romantic evening.  Biker Chick Lisa Swift shares two ideas with our Just Because Collection, but we'll have her tell you all about it...

Altered Frames by Lisa Swift

I love to decorate for Valentine's Day. The colors and hearts make everything cheerful (and after the snow and bitter cold we've had over the past few weeks, I definitely need something cheerful).  The first project is a set of chipboard frames. I covered the back of one large and two medium Polaroid-style chipboard frames with patterned paper.



Tips for Creating the Frames:

1. Trace the outside of the frame and the inner window onto patterned paper (the 6x6 paper pad is the perfect size for this).
2. Cut the outside portion first and then the window section. If the paper frame ends up a bit too large, don't worry. Use a piece of sandpaper to get sand away the extra and create a smooth, seamless edge in the process.
3. Cut a coordinating piece of paper to fill the window (just make sure the paper is a bit larger than the window itself).
4. Embellish with various stickers, chipboard, journaling cards, and pieces from the Paper Crafting Kit.

Custom Candles by Lisa Swift

This next project was really fun to do. All you need is a couple of clear glass votive holders and lengths of vellum tape. Through trial and error, I found it easiest to start at the bottom. I wrapped the first length of tape and then placed each subsequent strip flush against the one before it.

Just Because Products:

JB-134 Journaling Cards
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love
JB-161 Vellum Tape
JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes

There is still time to get your own Just Because supplies.  Please visit your local scrapbook store or our online store and order some today!

Happy Monday!

Our Paper Crafting Kits are so verstaile.  You could probably use one from any of our collections to make a Valentine card.  Today Biker Chick Suzanne Sergi gives us a couple of ideas of how to incorporate them into a card with our Just Because collection, but let's have her tell you all about it...

Inspiration Canvas by Suzanne Sergi

I was inspired by the quote found on the 12 x12 Just Be You paper. I thought it would make for a pretty inspiration canvas to have in your office, or scrapbook room.  I stitched together two patterns found on the 6x6 paper pack, and added this strip to the right of the canvas. I used the pleated flower in the papercrafting kit to create a bold embellishment on the left side of the canvas. Using a circle element, and paper bow from the papercrafting kit, I was able to create many layers to this embellishment.

I pulled in many of the elements found in the paper crafting kit for Just Because. The kit includes so many different shapes to create pretty details on your projects.

Just Because Products:

JB-102 Just Be You Bands/Linen & Lace Gray
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit
JB-277 StickPins

Altered Glassine Bag by Suzanne Sergi

The following is a 5x7 glassine bag that I covered with more paper found in the Just Because 6x6 paper pad. Again, a pleated flower was used as the main embellishment on the bag. The flower is found on the Cardstock stickers ,and I simply covered it in glitter.

The small flower, and the small red polka dot circle are all elements found in the papercrafting kit. I did emboss the small blue flower to add texture.

Just Because Products:

JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit
JB-140 Cardstock Stickers
JB-201 Canvas Stickers

Be sure to visit Suzanne's blog Scrappin' the Details for more of her inspiring ideas.

Don't Forget about our February Sketch Challenge.  We have some great prizes to send out and you know how much we love to see projects from our fans!  See the details on this post HERE.

Have a wonderful and crafty weekend!

We have an adorable layout from Biker Chick Vicki Boutin today.  We love how our team is transforming our Just Becasue collection into Valentine projects even though it is really an everyday collection.  Don't you love the versatility?  Check out Vicki's tips...

Just Because Layout by Vicki Boutin

We love Valentine's Day in our house!  We always grab cute t-shirts, cards and candy to celebrate this day of love.  I also like to grab a few photos...big surprise!  When I received my Just Because goodies I knew they would be perfect for one of these sweet photos.
 I love the foil accents in the Just Because line.  Hard to photograph but the close up shots give you a better idea.
This line is definitely great for Valentine's Day events as well as any other "Just Because" moments.  Gotta love that!!!

Be sure to visit Vicki's blog Creative Foundations for more inspiration and information on her classes and upcoming events.

AND Remember - you can still find the entire Just Because collection available at our online store.

Almost to the weekend :)

Getting ready to send Valentines to school with your precious ones?  How about a fantastic idea that includes both a treat and a Valentine?  Biker Chick Tania Willis has a fantastic idea to share today featuring our Just Because collection, but we'll have her tell you all about it...

Classroom Valentine Treats by Tania Willis

Hello Little Yellow Bicycle fans!  I am so thrilled to be here today sharing an idea for you and your kiddos for their Valentine’s Day classroom exchange. You should know that I am totally one of those people that like to find ways to use products in ways other than their intended purpose.

I decided to make things easy on myself and put some of the gorgeous pieces from the Paper Crafting Kit to use to embellish a set of lightweight clear plastic tubes from SRM Press.  These tubes are BRILLIANT for packaging small candy treats and made the job of putting together sugary sweet Valentine’s for my daughter’s classmates super simple.

To decorate them, I started simple by adding either a vellum tape strip or a pre-scored printed cardstock strip (from the Paper Crafting Kit) along the bottom of each tube. These add a visually substantial embellishment around the base of the tube and acts to ground whatever other embellishing you’re doing. Each vellum strip &/or pre-scored printed cardstock will wrap around three tubes, so you can really stretch the mileage from the set making them perfect when creating multiples!

Just Because Products:

JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)

JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)

JB 160 - Vellum Tape (15 pieces)

JB-161 Vellum Tape - Love (15 pieces)

JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

Please visit Tania's blog for more details and a few tips about this project.

Happy Crafting!

Today we have a special treat to share from Cycling Team Member Shellye McDaniel.  We have to admit that we get really excited for her projects, because her craftmanship and attention to detail are some of the best in the business.  Forgive us for so many photos, but we HAD to include detailed close ups so you could see all of the special techniques that she includes.  But, let's have Shellye tell you all about her Just Because canvas mini album...

Love This Life Canvas Mini Album by Shellye McDaniel

I love giving mini albums as gifts; with the Just Because Collection you have so many avenues of themes to choose from!  For this one, I kept it more of an everyday-life-theme so that the recipient can fill them with any kind of photos.

First, I started with Canvas Covered Chipboard Album and four of the chipboard inserts.  I wanted to keep the album front clean-and-simple, so I flecked the canvas with just a bit of Sweet Cherry spritz.  From the Chipboard Shapes, I chose the larger royal blue frame, which I backed with one of the 6x6 patterned papers and then embellished with other chipboard shapes, cardstock stickers, canvas borders and a few pearls and trim from my stash.  When layering pieces, I like to use both thin and thick foam dots to achieve different levels of dimension.

For the inner pages I wanted to create areas for journaling, as well as places for a few small photos.  The 6x6 paper pad makes this process so simple!  After determining the base paper, I cut another 6x6 paper down to 5x5 and then machine-stitched the two together.  When constructing a mini album, I try to keep in mind how the pages will lay against one-another, especially if you like chunky/layered embellishments like I do!

The Clear Cuts Shapes are among some of my favorite items from LYB!  Because I'm a 'stitcher' at heart, I found it fun to attach them to the pages by machine-stitching across the design or hand-stitching them with X's.  The glint of foil on the various embellishments adds a subtle pop.

I love, love, love Decorative Stick Pins!  I used two of the pins to mimic a banner holder for the sweet canvas sticker that I used on page 7.  To do so, I left one of the pins intact and to the other, I snipped off the 'pin' part with a pair of wire cutters.  I attached them over the canvas sticker with glue dots.

Just Because Products:
Just Because- 6x6 Paper Pad; 6x6 Canvas Covered Chipboard Album; Chipboard Shapes; Paper Crafting Kit; Vellum Tape: Love; Vellum Tape; Cardstock Stickers: Fresh Verse; Cardstock Stickers: Favorite Pieces/Love; Cardstock Stickers: Favorite Pieces; 10 Things Pocket; Stick Pins; Journaling Cards; Clear Cuts Shapes; Canvas Stickers

Please visit Shellye's blog The Papered Cottage for more details about this album and more inspiring projects from her.

You can find this adorable canvas mini album at many of your local scrapbook stores of buy one from us at our online store HERE.

Have a wonderful day!

We are so pleased to introduce our Just Because Guest Designer Piradee Talvanna who comes to us all the way from Singapore.  We thought this collection would be a perfect fit for Piradee's more "grown up" style.  Let's get to know her a bit and then she can tell you all about her project...

LYB: Are you a morning bird or night owl?

PT: I’m so a night owl and it’s in the evening that I mostly get my scrapping done. I would be procrastinating the entire day only to start around 5pm.

LYB: Do you have a favorite die cutting system?
PT: That would definitely be my silhouette machine.  I remember that it was sitting in the box for about 6/7 months before I first used it and since then, there’s a little bit of silhouette action for all my layouts/projects.

LYB: Computer or handwritten journaling?
PT: It used to be handwritten journaling, but now its typewriter typed.  Yeap, with over 10 typewriters in my collection, I got to put them to some good use somehow.

I am thrilled to be sharing some Just Because projects this month.  I just adore this sweet collection – the mix of the dark pink and turquoise against the navy and also loving the pops of silver throughout the collection. 

For my first project, I used the fun sketch from this month’s challenge and opted to create an 8.5”x11” layout instead.  I kept to the base design of the sketch but switched to one photo (unfortunately less space to play with) and also moved the scallop border to the center.

I also included some of the awesome transparency and chipboard embellishments; loving especially the ones with the silver and even added more silver to the layout with sequins (I’m currently addicted to all things metallic and sequins).

And of course, more silver here too… (how awesome are those transparency flower die cuts, the petals are transparent and the middle has a lovely coat of silver).

For my title, I used the silhouette machine to cut out the “heart” this (die cut file from studio calico) and for the journaling I used various sticker elements (and of course, more silver here too).

Just Because Products:

JB-107 Let's Do Coffee/Jot in a Journal

JB-104 Full Bloom/Pin Stripe - Gray

JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua

JB-106 Diamond Doily/Loops & Stitches

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)

JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)

We will have more wonderful projects from Piradee this month, but in the meantime, be sure to visit her blog The Scrapper in Me for some daily inspiration.

Check this out - you can still join in our February Sketch Challenge with an AWESOME prize pack for 3 lucky winners.  Find all of the details HERE!

Have a wonderful and crafty weekend.

There are so many things you can do with our Just Because collection.  It's great for layouts and for altering everday items.  Check out this beautiful stationary set...

Just Because Stationary Set by Greta Hammond

We love how Greta was able to pack everything you would need to send out a note or two in this cute little stationary caddy.  And the size is perfect for stowing this in many places in your home.

Tip: Use round or icon stickers to top off paper clips to add fun details to your project. Add pieces of chipboard to the backs of stickers to help make them more stable for the paper clips.

Tip: It's the details in projects like these to that help make them extra special. Make a "belly band" to wrap around a set of cards by cutting a strip of paper and adding stickers. It's an easy way to add that finishing touch.

Just Because Products:

JB-101 Bicycle Bliss/FlowerDot

JB-106 Diamond Doily/Loops & Stitches

JB-104 Full Bloom/Pin Stripe - Gray

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)

JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)

JB-140 - Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse - with foil and thermography (43 pieces)

JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)

We'll be back tomorrow to introduce our Guest Designer for Just Because and we think you will love seeing her projects over the next few weeks.  Until then...

One of our very favorite embellishments is our journal cards.  We've been including them with our collections for a long, long time.  We are always looking for new ways to use them all up, so we challenged Biker Chick Robbie Herring to think of a quick and simple project that highlights how to use our journal cards in a clever way...

Mini Brag Book by Robbie Herring

If you are like me, finding a way to carry pictures of your kids can be a challenge.  So many wallets these days don't have photo holders and if they do, they are flimsy. Making a brag book is a great way to carry your favorite pictures along with you all the time.  One thing that I have found frustrating about brag books over the years is that quite often, they are too bulky to carry around in your purse.  I came up with this idea to solve the problem.

Make yourself a brag book out of trading card sleeves.  These sleeves are the perfect size to fit wallet size pictures!   Add in Little Yellow Bicycle Journal Cards for decoration and to document the details and you are good to go!  This is a SUPER QUICK and Easy way to show off your pictures.

Keep it Simple!  And Flat!  Add a couple of layers of paper plus a few stickers.  A journal card with room to tell the story or the date, plus a few stickers and some embroidery floss are another detail that will work well in this project.  Anything flat goes!

I used the 6x6 Paper Pad and a journal card to  decorate the cover.  I also tied a little chipboard heart to the ring for added fun!

Tip:  As I've mentioned, these holders are tough and will protect your photos!  You might want to try a Crop-a-dile or a heavy duty hole punch to make your holes for the ring.

Just Because Products:

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)
JB-304 6X6 Paper Pad (24 sheets - 2 each of 12 designs)
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)
JB-230 Clear Cuts Shapes - with foil accents (27 pieces)

Come visit our online store and find the perfect journal cards from many of our collections to make your very own brag book.  Or, just look through your stash and find some you already have on hand.  We'd love to see you post a project on our Facebook page if you make one.

Have a wonderful and crafty day!

We are so happy to share more projects from Cycling Team Member Audrey Pettit.  Her work is always fun to look at and we love her attention to detail, so be sure to take a close peek at her projects.  Today Audrey brings us two more fun ideas with our Just Because collection, but let's have her tell you all about them...

Family Bi-Fold Frame by Audrey Pettit

Love these photos I recently got of me with my two kiddos, and I really wanted to do something special with them. All the gorgeous papers and embellishments made this project soooo fun to put together. I like the fact that this frame works well for Valentine's Day with it's love theme, but works equally well all the rest of the year, too.

The base of the frame itself was made by lacing two pages of a chipboard album together with twine. First I covered the pages with papers from the 6x6 Paper Pad and then I dressed them up with lots of gorgeous goodies from the Just Because collection.

Just Becuase Products:
JB-134 Journaling Cards
JB-140 Fresh Verse Cardstock Stickers
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit

CBA-1007 Canvas Covered Chipboard Album

Friendship Card by Audrey Pettit

The base of the card was made from two layers of patterned papers from the 6x6 Paper Pad. The fishtail banners were cut from a third sheet of the 6x6 paper. I simply cut along the lines of the stripes in the patterned paper, staggered the length, and cut a v-notch fishtail on the bottom of each strip before adhering the banners across the center of the card.

Then the card got a bit of detail with a ribbon tie, decorative stick pins, chipboard accents, and layered die cuts from the Paper Crafting Kit.

Just Because Products:
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit

Please visit Audrey's blog for more of her creative inspiration and wonderful attention to detail.

Check this out - You can order the entire Just Because collection directly from our online store and the shipping is fast.  You could have it "Just In Time" for Valentine's Day.

It's been a while... we know.   But, we want to give our fans an opportunity to play along with us this month.  So how about a sketch challenge with a BIG prize for a few winners?  Just jump into our sketch challenge this month and we will send three fans a really nice LYB prize pack that includes our newest colleciton and SOME of our brand new Naturals.  Are you game???

I haven't sketched in a while, but I have to say that this one feels really good and has a lot of opportunity to customize or just follow along.  Totally up to the beholder and we love to see your creativity with our sketches and products.

Just Because Layout by Liz Qualman

This page came together pretty quickly.  I have to admit that I was tempted to use one large 5x7 photo of my kids and call it good, but I love all of the pages I've been seeing with wallet-sized photos.  So, I compromised and used the same photo (in a wallet-size) three times to make the same impact with a litte more flair.  This picture of my kids really warms my heart, so I probably could have used it six times or more, but I tried some self-restraint - LOL

Have you checked out our new Naturals collection???  It is a must have and I am not just saying that because I work for Little Yellow Bicycle.  I would buy these gorgeous embellishments regardless.  Look how this burlap heart totally fits in with the bright Just Because color scheme, but adds a little natural texture.  I just LOVE it!!!  And check out the other hearts you get in the package with this one... could have used any of them on this page.

Can you even stand another minute without these Naturals blue canvas letters that remind me of denim?  They were such a fun element to add to my page.  Not to mention that they come in other colors...

Little Yellow Bicycle Products:

JB-101 Bicycle Bliss/FlowerDot

JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua

JB-108 Pretty Paisley/Strings of Beads

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

JB-135 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces - with thermography and embossing (32 pieces)

JB 160 - Vellum Tape (15 pieces)

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

AS-212 Canvas Alphas - Blue, Esfera

NA-BS50 Layered Burlap Stickers - Hearts

Here are the rules:

1.  You may use the sketch any way you please (turn it upside down, on its side, or use it as is).

2.  You must use at least 75% Little Yellow Bicycle product, from ANY of our collections (We like to see the new stuff, but we have so many great collections, that we basically just like to see our stuff).

3.  Your work must be your own! ;)

Here's how to enter:

1. You may enter by posting your layout to LYB's Facebook Page - please post it in the Album titled "February Sketch Challenge 2013". 

2. If you're not a Facebook user, you still may enter, by emailing a photo of your entry to liz@mylyb.com and Liz will post your project to our Facebook Wall. Please include your mailing address - so we have it in case you win!

3.  All entries must be received by midnight EST on Sunday, February 24, 2013.

Here's the fun part ... the prizes!

1.  We will select THREE finalists. All of the finalists will win a prize.

2.  We will post the finalists to our Facebook Page and Blog for you to VOTE on your favorites.

3.  You'll have a week to vote (one vote per person).

4.  The grand prize winner will win $50 in LYB product including some of our brand new Naturals. The runners up will each receive $25 in LYB product!

**Due to shipping costs, prizes may vary depending on where you are in the world.

We cannot wait to see what our crafty friends come up with and we hope this gives you a little inspiration to kick off your weekend.   

Remember, you can buy all of the Just Because and any other recent LYB collections from our online store and our shipping department is super speedy...

Have you noticed all of the darling stick pins that are included with each of our collections?  We'd be lying if we didn't tell you how much we adore them.  We thought it would be a fun post for our Biker Chicks Heather and Corrie to just "Put a Pin in It."   Check out what they created with the new Just Because collection and stick pins.

Just Because Stick Pins

Family Reward Jar by Heather Leopard

I created this Family Activity jar as a way to reward our kids for good behavior, grades or whatever we feel that deserve to be rewarded for.

I used the stick pins as the foundation for creating the activity strips by simply adhering them between two strips of paper and then decorating them with chipboard, twine and bits from the paper crafting kit. Each strip has a different activity that I know all of the family members will enjoy.

Of course, we need a cute jar to hold the pin strips in so I decorated a mason jar using paper, chipboard, and more bits from the paper crafting kit. Of course, the smaller "happiness" jar on the front had to be filled with faux flowers, made from the stick pins.  Now I just need to make more activity pins that can be switched out each month so that we have different options of things to do, while creating new memories together.

Just Because Products:
JB-277 Stick Pins
JB-304 6x6 Paper Pad
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit
JB-160 Vellum Tape
JB-201 Canvas Stickers
JB-140 Cardstock Stickers - Fresh Verse
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes

Just Because Cards by Corrie Jones

Corrie whipped up these cards and adorned them with our Just Because stick pins as decoration.  They make excellent clusters and flags.

Just Because Products:

JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)

JB-277 Stick Pins (15 pieces)

JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)

Half way through the week and the creativity is flowing.  We'll be back with more Just Because tomorrow and maybe even a little challenge... so stay tuned.

We have more amazing projects to share from our friends and fans in our Peloton (you  know, the large pack of riders in a cycling race)...  In fact, those of you who ordered Just Because from our online store last week are already receiving it!  Check out the gorgeous project below as proof our our speedy shipping...

Just Because Card by Vicki Robertson

Found on our Facebook Wall

Winterings Layout by Elena Olinevich

Found on our Facebook Wall

Winterings Layout by Jennifer Snyder

Found at scrapbook.com

Winterings Card by Creativenikki

Found at Two Peas in a Bucket

Winterings Layout by Steffinchenb

Found at Two Peas in a Bucket

Next... we have a special event to share...

Christine Meyer has been a long time LYB supporter and even participated on our Once Upon a Christmas Cycling Team.  She recently taught a class with our Winterings collection and sent us a few snap shots from her creative experience, but we'll let Christine tell you a little bit about it...

We did a two page layout and two cards using several patterned papers and embellishments including the Clear Cuts, Chipboard, the Paper Kit, and both sets of Cardstock Stickers.  For one lady in attendance it was her first time ever to make a layout!  There were many comments on how much they liked the colors especially the combination of the lighter hues with the darker hues.

Please visit Christine's blog Scrapping with Christine for more details and I think she said she had a few project kits left...

Hope you had a wonderful Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

We are so excited that our Biker Chicks have finally received the Just Because collection to decorate our blog and today we have two beautiful projects from Jen Chesnick.  Watch how Jen shows the versatility of this collection, but let's have her tell you all about it...

Just Because Layout by Jen Chesnick

Hi LYB fans! Jen here today with some brand spanking new projects using our new line Just Because.  It's this time of the year where I am tired of the Holidays and Winter and I am looking for a little punch of color to hold me over till Spring, Just Because just does that. 

The fabulous thing about this line is it does double duty.  You can see my use of the line with my layout "Sweet Child of Mine"  It showcases the everyday value of the colors and shapes.  Super sweet!  Bows are my current obsession as well as a hot trend! 

On the flip side Just Because is a Valentines line.  I created these heart shaped boxes in neutral grays and added the punch of red with my embellishments   Not only did I get a sweet layout of my little one I got a sweet treat for my loved one!  I hope you enjoy this line as much as I do!

Just Because Products:

JB-109 Tiny Blossoms, Birds & Blooms
JB-108 Pretty Paisley/Strings of Beads
JB-103 Linen & Lace - Aqua/Tiny Stripes Aqua
JB-308 10 Things Pocket - with embossing (17 pieces)
JB-134 Journaling Cards - with thermography (10 pieces)
JB-136 Cardstock Stickers - Favorite Pieces/Love - with thermography and embossing (42 pieces)
JB-305 Paper Crafting Kit (75 pieces)
JB-279 Chipboard Shapes - with foil accents (28 pieces)
JB-201 Canvas Stickers (15 pieces)

Remember, we are shipping Just Because directly from our online store and our warehouse will get it to you quickly, so feel free to stop by and order some Just Because!

Have a wonderful and crafty weekend!

Ever wonder how to use our collection signature papers without covering up all of the fun details?  Today we share two pages with the same Just Because collection signature paper, but present two totally different ideas for maneuvering around the page...

Just Because Layout by Greta Hammond

We love how Greta chose a horizontal 5 x 7 photo and then framed it with the patterned papers and elements so the little bicycle and clouds would still shine through.  It's a fairly simple design, but the impact of all of the little details really makes this page stand out.  Don't you love the pops of red?

Just Because Layout by Lisa Swift

We also love how Lisa took the same paper and moved her embellishments around the page so that the background paper still has a lot of focus, but it is mixed in with the other elements of her design.  Here's a couple of tips from Lisa...

1. Mix and match the chipboard heart frames/hearts and offset the hearts to give them dimension.

2. Use brads to keep a Clear Cut transparency in place.

3. Use Clear Cuts to add to the scene that's printed on the patterned paper.

Check this out - We know that your local scrapbook store (LSS) will have this collection soon, but if you don't have a local store or just CANNOT wait to have it.  You can purchase Just Because directly from us at our online store and we will ship it immediately.  Plus, you don't want to miss out on this collection before it is all gone...

Happy Wednesday!

It's that time again ... everyone's scurrying around putting the final touches on plans and projects for CHA-Winter -- it's just a little over a week away! We're so excited, we wanted to give you a quick sneaky peek of our upcoming collections. Check back next week to see everything!

Yesterday, Liz shared some projects from our Just Because collection - which is shipping very soon!

One thing you'll love about Just Because is, while it's a great everyday collection, we've also included some wonderfully coordinated Valentine's-themed stickers, so you can create perfect Valentine's Day projects! Here's a peek:

And one more peek of some of the great colors and patterns in the collection (mmm I just love that paisley!):

In the spring, we'll introduce Fern & Forest ... for Girls and for Boys!  These two whimsical collections combine natural elements with fun, fanciful designs, for capturing the adventures of your favorite boys and girls!  Shipping in March.

And just in time for spring, we'll introduce Poppy...shipping in May! For me, Poppy = Perfection!

Finally Vintage Summer ships in June - for your warmest summer memories!

(These colors and patterns want me to pack a picnic lunch and head somewhere warm!)

One more thing ... be sure to check out our new Naturals embellishments.

They're not a collection --Naturals combine neutral colors with natural fabrics and textures, to coordinate with all of the LYB collections ... and your other projects!

Watch for more in the coming weeks! Looking forward to another fantastic CHA-Winter!