A little scrappin'...

My mother-in-law needed a scrapbook page done.  Her nieces were creating a scrapbook for their parents' 40th wedding anniversary!!  {wow... that's all I'm sayin'... wow}  Bev enlisted my help in this little endeavor, since papercrafting is "my thing"  :)  And this is what I came up with:

 

I think it came out very pretty, for NOT having any FREAKIN' PHOTOS on it.  That's correct, my friends, this is a 12x12 scrapbook page without photos.  Bev wrote a wonderful little letter of memories and I printed it out in a dark brown ink on white paper... I then distressed and inked it to age it a bit.

 

I layered some old pink cotton pillowcase strips amidst some crocheted trim and patterned paper.  I borrowed my buddy Vicki's edger punches and then sanded the edges.  All cardstock has been sponged to add a little dimension.  Oh, and that big ol' pink felt embellishment... yeah, it's another Michael's $1 bin coaster... me likey.

 

Stamps:  Fanciful Vintage, Tag Tidbits ("love"), Edge Designs (tag flourish)

Paper:  Angelee SWIC & Angelee cardstocks

Ink:  Cognac & Burnt Umber Palettes

Other:  EK Success edger punches, MM pearl flowers, felt coaster, Brown Scrapper's Floss, buttons, Loopy Brads, ivory safety pin, MM felt heart, misc. trims & fabric

I think this last photo looks like a fabulous card, which I may be duplicating soon once I get my hands on those edger punches again :)

What do you think?

Amberley Mini-book

I went to a really fun crop a couple of weeks ago put on by Crop-N-Doodle-Do, and ACTUALLY accomplished a couple of things!  CNDD's crops are awesome... they have fun giveaways, plenty of space, the food is always great, and they help you unload your stuff from your vehicle to your table! 

The crop fee is a little more than others, but they feed you (with cross your legs good desserts) and even go on an afternoon Sonic run for drinks {LOVE that rabbit pellet ice :)}, so the little extra money is TOTALLY worth it!

Ok, since I'm done pimping out CNDD, how's about having a lookie-see at one of the things I finished there?!  Yep, a mini-book of my babies!  It's really small... to give you an idea, the photos are index size... that, and you can see my fingertips in most of the photos (blech).

The base is from 7-Gypsies... it's a little chipboard matchbook, two-to-a-pack.  The only draw-back about this pre-made base is that you are not able to add much bulk AT ALL! 

Just by me adding a matted photo, a couple of accent cardstock pieces, and a decorative paper background, really pushed past the comfortable closing limits of the matchbook! 

I inked the edges with a Burnt Umber Palette pad... gave it a little more grunge look.  And I used up a ton of itty bitty scraps of Amberley Grace paper & coordinating cardstock!  Yes, this is a true scrap project :)

The pewter bookrings are from Karen Foster Designs, the eyelets are TAC's Pewter Hardware, and all of the pretty ribbon is from several of TAC's ribbon collections.

I finished it off with a sliding cardstock belly band that I embellished with a Bazzil Bitty Bloom, oyster disk, & an aqua half pearl from Michael's.  The title was done with a Signo white gel pen.

What do you think?  
I KNOW... the babies are cute :)

Awwwww... bless her little heart...

Quickie post tonight... I am dog tired!

Get it... "dog" tired...
yeah, I know...
I'm a goo {that's for you, Beverly :) }


Any-hooser, this was a page I had sent in for a design call last year sometime.
Isn't Heidi freakin' A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E?!! Yes, I KNOW!


Stamps: More Abundance, Curls & Swirls

Paper: Mimi (but More Mimi will work!), Mimi cardstock

Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, VersaMark

Other: Mimi & Angelee Ribbon, Mega Scallop Sqare punch, Cloud Scissors, Pop Dots


That's it for tonight! I'm off to peruse through the new catalogue again!! :)

What do you think?

Paper Wings Scrappy Blog Hop!!!

How about another Blog Hop?! A bunch of Angels from Paper Wings decided to highlight how to use rubber stamping in your scrapbooks. I confess, it's hard for me to create a scrapbook page WITHOUT any stamping... the pages just seem a bit unfinished. If my fingers aren't inky when I complete a page, it's not complete ;)

Stamps: This Girl, This Boy, Family is Forever, Script Background, Fantasy Flourishes, Floral Dingbats, Memo Fun

Paper: Hemingway SWIC & Cardstock

Ink: Burnt Umber & Cognac Palettes, VersaMark

Other: Extra Jumbo Circle punch, Mega & Giga Scallop Square punches, Pop Dots, foam tape, faux dewdrops, blending pad

I decided to do a double-page layout that was almost mirrored... the inward facing photos helped guide this. I only used one tiny sliver of pattern paper (upper right of Heidi page)... and created the rest with stamps! The Script Background was stamped in VersaMark & Cognac (twice without re-inking), and the Dingbat medallion was also stamped in VM. I created movement with the punched Flourish by varying the position of the image, allowing part of the image to 'go off' the edge, and by popping some up on foam tape & pop dots. It is grounded by the addition of the dewdrops that are in a straight line.

Aren't my Heidi & Thor the CUTEST BABIES EVER?! Just to quote what you are thinking: {why yes, Barb... it is true... I have never seen ANYTHING cuter than these two} Just a little side note... my poor Heidi (the blonde) had to have one of her eyes removed due to a corneal-something and is now affectionately called Bruno. She looks like a total badass right now until her stitches come out in a couple of weeks, but I thought I'd document her in her glory days.

You can see more scrappy examples of mine HERE and HERE and don't forget to check out all of these wonderful Angels' scrappy rubber-stamped works:

Melisa - http://paperliciousdesigns.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://jensinkspot.blogspot.com/

Stacy - http://stacy.typepad.com/

Ellie - http://www.elliesstampgarden.com/

Carol - http://stampincarol.blogspot.com/

Trudy - http://trudystreasures.blogspot.com/

LaurieW - http://www.soapboxcreations.blogspot.com/

Bridgett - http://hoosierstamper.blogspot.com/

Maria - http://stampinfoolmeier.blogspot.com/

Anna - http://scrapandcrap.blogspot.com/

What do you think?!

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Scrappy ButterlyBits revisited...

Here's the second "scrappy recycled" card that I had made the other night. I definitely like this one better than the last one... probably because it has more layers and is much more collage-ish looking :) It also measures 3"x5-1/2".

Stamps: Butterfly Bits, Linear Sentiments, Go Abroad, Tag Tidbits, Creative Inspiration

Cardstocks: recycled chipboard base from TAC Workpad, White UltraSmooth, Reece (light ocean blue), Bazzill Mono-Pinks, Bazzill Mono-Blue Greens, misc. dark brown

Inks: Toile Pink, Belle Rose, and Burnt Umber Palettes

Other: White Scrapper's Floss, foam tape, Fruit Punch Stickles, misc. button & ribbon

The butterfly, brocade medallion, "we are friends" strip, and the small brown dotted white cardstock were all, again, in my "pile of stuff I might use later"! And I actually used them... un-freakin'-believeable! The butterfly wings are bent slightly so they "fly off" the page... get it... fly... ok, I'm a dork. Onward!

I foofed up the inside on this one, too... I really like it! And, again, it uses more scraps! The "with love" is popped up on foam tape, and the butterfly is covering up the staples that I used to attach the sheer ribbon.

The ocean blue cardstock is left over from cutting a small star out for a previous project. I roughed up the edges of most of the pieces with just the edge of my fingernail... this turns the edges up, but you don't get all of those loose little bits that end up flying everywhere.

What do you think?

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Scraplings...

Finally! Some actual photos within the posts... geez. This is the little Scrapling make-n-take I had at the crop on Saturday. It's a wee little thing {sounds kinda Irish, huh?}, BUT the key is what you do with it! Scraplings are the little left-over chunka chunks that you get when you create a 4-1/4" square card from a typical A2 card (check the Hero Arts blog... they did some great ones using mailing labels!!).

Anyhoo, I've been needing to do more scrapping lately, so I decided to use the Scrapling as a page element for this 6x6 page. Why a 'cruise' page? Well, next year marks Poot's and my 10-year wedding anniversary, and we decided a long time ago that we would be going on a cruise to celebrate! I've only cruised once, for our honeymoon, and I loved it! So, this is just a little jump-start for the scrapbook I will... um, probably not... NO!... that I WILL complete for that event :)


Next up, Heather showed us how to use it as a bag tag... loved it! So, here's my version. It looks pretty different from the one above, just by changing the color palette. What's funny... both designer papers are from the same paper pack!!



Stamps: Flower Patch, Island Trees, Linear Sentiments, Tag Tidbits, Memo Fun, Playful Bet
Paper: Rustic Chic, Kraft cardstock, DCWV brown cardstocks, Amberley Grace cardstock
Ink: Burnt Umber, VersaMark
Other: misc. ribbon, paper piercer, sanding block, Mega & Giga Scallop Square Punches, Cloud Scissors, Pink & Red Scrapper's Floss, Copper eyelet


So, that's what I did with my Scraplings... what will you do with yours? CHALLENGE TIME!!! Use your Scrapling on something and link back in the comment section so we can all see!!

Well... what do you think?

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Just a little sumpin' sumpin'...

This is a scan of a few of the samples I made up with the goodie-bag items from the ERC crop yesterday. Patty asked the vendors to make up something to show the croppers ideas of how to use their items. My favorite creation that I gave to Patty was a little 'Boo Bag'... yep, you guessed it: I forgot to take a picture! I'm hoping my BFF snapped a pic of the table set up!

I'm not sure who the manufacturers are for most of the items, but the rub-ons are Karen Foster and there was Magic Mesh that I used as a stencil for the white paint from Pebbles, Inc.

I added the cutie pa-tootie moon-cow from An Udder Birthday stamp set, along with the White UltraSmooth card base, Bazzill Mono-Blues, and scored a few lines with the Scor-Pal... all to compliment the swirly journaling block that I turned into an image mat :)

My baby, Thor, is showcased in the center of another journaling block that I made into a photo frame (I know, I know... he IS adorable)!

The other two items, 3x3 giftie card w/ pocket envelope, was fun to make. I used the rub-ons on top of the glitter chipboard letters after painting the pattern on the paper base. For the card, I stamped the circle & star from Creative Inspiration in VersaMark and 'For You' from Memo Fun was stamped with Noir Palette. I finished it off by punching a circle and tying a bit of gingham ribbon from our Black & White Ribbon collection. The card slides down and the knot shows through the notch in the pocket.

Next time, I'll show how I took my Scrapling make-n-take and turned it into a bag tag & a scrapbook page! As for my goodie-bag samples...

What do you think?

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Pemberley Bay Matchbook Album...

Woo Hoo! Finally finished the Pemberley Bay Matchbook Kit that TAC gave us in San Antonio! I hadn't done much there because I was going on very little sleep (oh the fun we have) and just couldn't focus. I followed their directions for a few pages, but decided to just wing the rest (hence the "co-design" photo watermarks). I'm doing another slide show... do these work well for you guys? It's so much easier than posting a dozen photos! Just click on "view all images" for a larger lookie-see :)

Stamps: Interact

Kits/Paper: Pemberley Bay Matchbook Kit, Amberley Grace SWIC, Amberley Grace & Hemingway Cardstocks, misc. shipping tags & large coin envelope

Ribbon: Amberley Grace, Angelee, Reece, & Willoughby ribbons, Tan & Brown Scrapper's Floss

Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, Walnut Ink

Hardware: Antique Triangle Loops, Antique Copper eyelets, Antique Spiral Clips
Other: Acetate, Pop Dots, paper piercer

I've also done the Rockin' Roxie Matchbook Kit... I'm waiting for the sun to come out so I can photograph it. I actually completed it before the Pemberley Bay one, so I picked up a few tips:

1. Use foam tape (or similar) as spacers at the binding area... this allows for a more level look to album, especially when closed.

2. When using popped-up elements (or buttons in the case of RR), try to spread them out in different areas on different pages... don't just put them all at the 'open end' of the page. If not, it leads to an uneven look when closed.

3. Be careful when letting elements hang off the ends of the pages... top & bottom are fine, and you can do a teensie bit on the end (just not-so-much).

4. Be sure to do a 'dry run' with your pockets & tags... a couple of pages I did just use the photo mat as a pocket, and it really needed a bit of a gusset.

5. On the page with the triangle loop, eyelet & ribbon, I created a pocket with the AG paper by running strips of foam tape around three sides. This allowed plenty of room for a few tags and gives more dimension to the page.

My favorite page? I love the cover & binding, and all of the interactive pages, and the cool fancy frame page with the acetate window, and the foam tape pocket page... wait... did I just name every freakin' page?! ;)

By the way, I still have several tabs, photo corners, and two whole pages left over from the kit... hmmmm... what to make next...

What do you think?

Edited to add: TAC had pre-cut the fancy frame shapes with a die cutting system they had at the home office. I really like that shape, don't you? They provided everything except the stamp set, ink, the sheer binding ribbon, acetate, staples, foam tape, and some of the floss... pretty generous I think... it's great to be an Angel, huh?! :)

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Rustic Double Journaling Pocket

Happy Friday! You have to love Kansas weather: 68 on Wednesday, warm Thursday morning and then cooling off, and sunny but cold today. And, yes, it is supposed to snow tonight. Good grief.

A little bit of news... I'll be a vendor at the ERC 2009 Spring Benefit Crop & Shop in Topeka on March 21st. The crop was immediately sold out, but all of the vendor booths will be open to the public for shopping! There will be many different types of vendors in addition to stamping/scrapping booths; here is a link to the list of vendors (they are also linked) in case you are interested, click here. I'll have several project kits made up, along with tons of TAC paper & cardstock packs, TAC kits, embellishments, Stickles, ribbon... on and on!

So I thought I'd share some of the classes I will be teaching the croppers. The first one will be the Mini-Meander Album that you've seen before, but using different TAC paper collections. The second one is the one I'm sharing today...

Rustic Chic Double Journaling Pocket

I really like how this turned out. It shows how versatile one pocket element can be... I've shown it on a 6x9 scrapbook page as well as a gift card holder (see below). This photo shows what we will be making in the actual class, and then the attendees can decide later how they want to use it!

Stamps: Memo Fun, Mini-Bet, Creative Inspiration (dotted star), Interact, Trendy Greetings (happy b-day)

Paper: Rustic Chic, Bazzill Mono-Reds & kraft cardstock, DCWV brown cardstock

Ink: Burnt Umber & Boudoir Blush Palettes, VersaMark

Other: Scor-Pal, sanding block, pop dots, misc. ribbon, CutterBee Bug piercer

I think the red/pink/brown color combo works for the Thor page, even though he is a boy... it doesn't come off too feminine. The dark brown and rustic feel to the paper combined with the distressing and grunginess reads as boy (to me anyway). By the way... isn't he cute?!!

You can create a double pocket by simply omitting the glue on the top edge of the pocket... two journaling tags for the price of one!! The left tag could also be used for an additional photo mat in-lieu-of journaling.

For the gift card holder, I used my original pocket design, which is a bit shorter than the others. It really should be about 3/8" wider to conceal the gift card better, but I actually like how the red on the card balances the red/pink of the designer paper.

The star was stamped and then cut out and popped up on a pop dot... just a tiny detail that really adds something to an element.

What do you think?

I know, I know... where the heck have I been... again?!

... I have been very busy creating! I was working on submissions for the next TAC catalogue and the deadline was Monday, so all of it is IN THE MAIL! Too bad I can't show you any of it until the end of January, though.

[I told you I was a tease :)]

Well, Kim Sears is such a sweetie... she sent me a blank 'JOY' mini-album that she had bound with the BIA! She used her Cricut & Design Studio software to cut all of the pages & a thin layer of chipboard and glued them all together. She sent along some extra pieces of cardstock and a little more of the Merry Wishes paper for me to complete it. I did! Yep, me, Miss Procrastination, finished it. Evidently I got a wild hair last night when I got home from work and I went through all of my little embellishments picking out the pink & green ones, including several spools of ribbon to boot.

[yeah, try 7 rolls of ribbon... yep, I know... 'freak']

So I had all of this pink & green beautimousness spread out all over my table and just started going to town! I sponged all of the edges of the book and the mats & tags I created with Jardin Moss Palette ink. I'm telling you... sponging makes a difference!! I used Black StazOn to stamp the 'Christmas' sentiment (current GWP stamp) on a little pink plastic tile... I then covered it in VersaMark & sprinkled a pearlized clear embossing powder over it and heated it. Add a little pink bling & some organza ribbon, and voila... title.

Look at all of the ribbon... yummy.

I kept the back of the 'J' and the front of the 'O' pages pretty simple for the addition of photos, except for all of the lovliness on the lower right corner of the 'O'!! Is it not fantabulous?! So girly.

I had to add more on the back of the 'O'... loving these buttons!

The front of the 'Y' has a paper pocket w/ a pull-out 'card' and a couple of tags. I'm visualizing a photo on the front of the card w/ journaling on the back... LOVE the pearly-pink paper clip. I finished the page off with a trio of lace flowers.

I LOVE the back of the 'Y'. I used a Fantastix to shade the letter to form the rest of the 'Y', punched a couple of scallop circles & added a button center, and then used the outline of a 'u' sticker affixed to cardstock.

Tied a little ribbon around the 'u', added a pearly-green clip with a little snowflake-stamped tag. The 'i treasure' sentiment has a touch of Candy Cane Stickles along with the Ornamental Snowflakes stamped in Toile Pink & Belle Rose Palette ink.

The inside back cover is fun, too. I glued a length of beaded trim at the bottom, added another cluster of buttons at the top left, along w/ a few large sequins. Left a large mat for a photo, and added a journaling block. Finished it off with a little white heart stamped with 'love'.

Thanks so much, Kim! I couldn't have created this without you!!

What do you think?!!

Nothing knew [insert heavy sigh here]

Hello hello! I left the office early today and came home and took a nap... man, I needed that! I have nothing new to show you, so I guess I will dig into the archives tonight!

This cute fold-out album was one that we did at the TAC Winter Retreat. It is so cute in person... very simple to make, and of course my babies really are the best part :)

All products used are TAC and if you want to know specifics, just email me or leave a comment!

Tomorrow, my friend, Laurie, and I are going to the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin, Kansas. It's only about 20 minutes away, and the whole downtown is full of craft vendors. Should be fun! That's where I purchased my cool witch's hat from a previous post.