Makeover Monday Challenge #8

Now that Christmas is almost here, I've spent the past few days cleaning up my craft space and storing away my Christmas card making supplies.  I'm ready to switch gears and make other types of cards and this week's Makeover Monday Challenge gave me the incentive I needed!

The challenge is to encourage us to use our stash and in cleaning up my supplies, I found plenty of scraps from making my paper albums.  I used two pieces to put on my card base and then faux-stitched around the edges with my white Uni-ball pen.

I cut the labels using SCAL and my Cricut.  I almost forgot the bling, though, and I used my I-rock tool for the first time to add the blue bling to the label.  I bought the I-rock at the convention last summer and it's a shame it's taken me this long to try it out.  It's a great tool.

Here's the link to the challenge: Make over Monday challenge

Thanks for looking!



Holiday Card Makeover Challenge

Through my blog wanderings, I found the Paper Crafter's Library - PCL.  I'm enjoying their Makeover Monday challenges and I found the time this week to enter a card.  I kept it simple and used my stash of paper, which is a Recollections 4x6 paper pad that I bought at Michael's. 

Since the paper had the words "Merry Christmas", I used that as the greeting instead of stamping another one - saves time!   This was so easy and it helped use up some of my paper stash.

Holiday Cards

Instead of doing housework, I'm creating cards!  I used stockings from the Very Merry Tags cartridge using my Gypsy (I'm still learning how to use it) and the Recollections Holiday Traditions paper pad.  This card was one mistake after another.... I wasn't going to put a greeting at the top, but I dribbled Glossy Accents and had to cover it up!

I'm entering this card in FCCB's Challenge #88 - Holiday Card

My second holiday card used a SVG from Lettering Delight's Holiday Lights set.  The snowman was sooo adorable.  I cut out all his layers and then embossed the white layer in my Big Shot.  The acetate background has snowflakes that I stamped with Staz-On white ink.  I learned this technique in the Holiday Boot Card Boot Camp.

I'm entering this card in the 2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Holiday Card

Thanks for looking!

Impress your friends!

Hi everyone!  I was blog-hopping on Sunday and found this easy-to-make wreath over at the Simply Sassy Scrapper blog:  Simply Sassy Scrapper

I was eager to use up last year's holiday American Crafts 8x8 paper pad (so I can buy more holiday paper!) and I made the wreath in an hour.  Yes!  An hour!

Here's how my version turned out:

The "Holiday Cheer" SVG is from SVG Cuts.com.  I took it to work to decorate my dreary cubicle and it impressed my friends!  (They don't know it was soooo easy to do).

Thanks for looking!

Happy Thanksgiving from Cocoa Beach!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We're enjoying a long weekend in Florida, staying in Cocoa Beach.

I hope everyone has a great turkey day!



A Nordic Christmas Card

We're up to Day 9 of the Boot Camp!  I had a short time last night to work on a card and thought a sketch from Day 6 would help me put together a card quickly.  Here's the sketch:

Using Basic Grey's Nordic paper and images from Lettering Delight's Nordic Christmas set, here's my finished product:

The sentiment is again from PTI's Stylish Sentiments - Holiday.  There's so many great ideas from this class that I'll be making cards for a while!  (If I can squeeze that in between all of my band volunteer activities!)

Thanks for looking!

Holiday Card Boot Camp - Week 2

It's the beginning of week 2 of our Holiday Card Boot Camp and Kristina and Jennifer had great ideas for us.  I loved the circle card Jennifer taught, but I'll have to get some felt to try making the felt poinsetta.

Instead, I made a poinsetta from paper and cut a shaped holly frame for the card.  The sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Stylish Sentiments collection:

I'm enjoying seeing the work of so many creative ladies in this class and adding their blogs to my reading list.  Thanks for looking!

HCBC - Day 5!

We're halfway thru the Holiday Card Boot Camp and I've enjoyed it so much!  Today's class was on making reproducible cards.  I loved Jennifer's watercolor embossed card.  This was easy to make and looks so pretty with the Perfect Pearls misting.

I made an SVG of the word "Peace", which you can have for free here:  Peace

I needed to make my mother a birthday card and I used this card as my inspiration.  The background is the "Color Me" stamp from Hot off the Press.  I got this paper at the CKC convention and finally got around to using it.

I hope to try making more cards tomorrow!



HCBC - Day 4

Hello!  Today's day 4 of the card boot camp and I loved the look of Jennifer's card, BUT....

a. I didn't have the tree stamp

b. I didn't have the acetate note card

SO....I improvised. I used my Staz-On to stamp snowflakes onto a piece of transparency.  This was the first time I used Staz-On and it came out pretty good.

Next, I used an SVG image of the "Merry Christmas" tree and drew it on a blue paper with my Cri-Kit pen.  I colored it in with Smooch Sundance and inked the white dots with the Uniball White pen.  Then I adhered everything onto a piece of gold paper stock.

The picture isn't very good, but I'm satisfied.  Jennifer McGuire's technique taught me how to use acetate on cards, which I'd never done before.   I also found time to make Jennifer's card from day one of the camp:

The more I look at this card, the more I enjoy its homey feeling.  I've done 5 cards so far in the camp and can't wait to see what goodies we'll see tomorrow!

Thanks for looking.



 



HCBC - Day 3

We had another great day of instruction and ideas in the Holiday Card Boot Camp!  I have to admit that I struggled waaay too much over embossing and just couldn't get anything to work right - the colors looked wrong or the embossing didn't work.  I ended up using the card pattern idea without embossing.

The inspiration card had a circle cutout with an image hanging within the circle.  However, I decided to use a stamped image that I made from Kristina W's Holiday Card Series (card #5) as the background that peeks thru the circle.  I love the bird and soft background.

Here's the inside of the card:

I created an SVG file of the card with a circle, which you can download for free: Card with circle

Now I'm off to try making another card!



Holiday Card Boot Camp - Day 2

Today's card in the boot camp was a photo card with inspiration on how to add your own embellishments.  What interested me was the little folded tree that Jennifer taught us.  It took me a few tries, but I managed to make two out of scrap holiday paper for my card:

I embossed a dove stamp with Versamark and stamped the word "Joy" from a Hero Arts stamp set.  I inked the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink:

My little trees were fun to fold!  I'm finding ideas from other class participants, like Michelle at Handmade by Michelle.  There are so many talented ladies in the class.

Thanks for looking!



Holiday Card Boot Camp - Card 1

Today is the start of the Holiday Boot Camp!  We had two great cards to choose from and I modeled mine after Kristina's card.  I was excited that she gave us the ornament SVG file to use for the card.

Kristina made her card from Kraft cardstock with a red ornament, but I went with the ice blues of winter (we rarely get snow or ice in South Carolina!).  Here's the front of my card:

The "Happy Holidays" stamp is from PaperTrey Ink - Stylish Sentiments: Holiday collection.  The cardstock is their Soft Stone paper.

I cut the ornament from vellum and made a background ornament in glitter blue.  I added a ribbon from Michael's to brighten up the card a bit.

This card was a lot of fun!  I'm going to also try to make Jennifer's day one card as well.  All of the ladies are making cards and adding them to the class forum - it's fun to see what all of the talented ladies make!

I should be posting more cards....stay tuned!



Holiday Card Class!

I signed up for the Holiday Card Class that starts November 7th!  I can hardly wait - this is my first online card class.  I hope to post some beautiful cards and use up my holiday paper from last year.

Anyone else attending??  Let me know!  I'm off to buy my class supplies!



CKC Charlotte

I had a great time at the Creating Keepsakes Convention (CKC) in Charlotte.  I took 6 classes and shopped until I had no more money left (I've been saving for this for months).

The classes I took, along with my reviews:

1. SEI - Sophisticated Style, Expanding Layout Pages

I learned new techniques for adding pictures to your layout.  The class was organized, had a video projection of how-tos along the way, with a good teacher.  

2. Mosaic Moments - Photo Framing Techniques

You really need to know how to do the Mosaic Moment technique before taking this class (which I've had).  It was a good class and I learned new techniques for scrapbooking with the Mosaic Moments paper.  The class was organized, had a video projection of how-tos along the way, with a good teacher (owner Tami Potter).

3. Prima - 30 minute layouts

From the start, this class was not that good.  The teacher was handing out papers one by one to a class of 50 ladies.  It took 24 minutes to get all the supplies handed out and the papers were damaged in shipping.  There was no video projection that showed you step-by-step as the class progressed.  The 3 pages we did were very feminine - a "shabby chic" look.  I did learn how to use Prima's flowers on a page and even use the packaging that the flowers come in.  The "30 minute" part wasn't really pushed - it was more how to use Prima flowers than complete layouts quickly.  I would not recommend this class.

4. Simplicraft - Crazy for Cardstock

The class was organized, had a video projection of how-tos along the way, with a good teacher.  I love it when you walk into a class and they immediately hand you a packet of supplies.  We learned new techniques and I wish I had taken some of their other classes.

5. Creating Keepsakes - Bling it On

The class was organized, had a video projection of how-tos along the way, with a good teacher. I was wary of this because CK is a magazine, not a teacher, but the class was fun and it stretched me in new directions.  We learned how to use the I-rock tool.  My friends were disappointed in the Material Girl class that CK offered, but I enjoyed this one.

6. SEI - Make an album truly yours

The class was organized, had a video projection of how-tos along the way, with a good teacher.  I cannot believe that I completed 8 pages in this class!  And we took time to ink 2 pages too.  The SEI albums are sooo organized and I learned that this is the way to complete an album in no time. 

My friends took the Technique Tuesday and Quick Quotes classes and along with SEI, you can always depend on those companies to give quality classes.  Next year, I'll add more Simplicraft classes too.

The vendor fair this year was definitely smaller - a few vendor booths were even empty.  I still enjoyed the make-and-takes at Boxer, Mon Ami Gabby and PK Glitz.  Here's a view of the vendor fair:



Thanks for reading!

CKC Scrapbook convention

Yeah!   I'm off to the CKC Scrapbook Convention tomorrow!  I'm signed up for 6 classes and saved all my pennies for the shopping.  I can hardly wait.   I'll post pics later. 



Baby Name Collage and FCCB Challenge

I took a break from my mini-album project to make a baby name collage for a friend at work.  Her baby boy, Austin, is due in October and this will be a present for her baby shower.  Her theme is Jungle and her colors are brown and green.

The latest FCCB challenge is "Let's Get Buggy" and it challenged me to include lots of bugs in the collage.  Here's the link FCCB #72.   I'm also linking this to My Pink Stamper's "Favorites" blog hop.  Here's that link: MPS Blog Hop

I just got the Create a Critter cartridge (can you believe it took me so long to get this cartridge!) and I used tons of the images from it to decorate the collage.  I also used the Paisley cartridge.  Here's a closeup of the lion, mushroom, snail, and ladybug:

I used clear Stickles on almost every cut to add some interest, but I didn't want to do too much since this is for a boy.

The monkeys from Create a Critter are too cute!  I used the "Flip" function so the monkeys looked a tad different.  I cut them at 1 1/2 inches and 2 1/2 inches.  I used the Colorbok paper from Walmart because it really cuts well for small images.

Here's the collage in its frame (bought at Joann's):

I may also make some smaller collages to go with this one.  I can't wait to give it to the mother-to-be! 

Michael's and Hobby Lobby coupons

Here's a sheet of Michael's and Hobby Lobby coupons for you to use this week.  Hobby Lobby coupon is 25% off and Michael's coupon is 40% off . Both are valid thru Aug 13th. 

Whenever I go shopping, I print the entire sheet and share it with shoppers at the store.

Happy Shopping!

Hobby Lobby coupons

Michael's coupons



Paper Bag Mini Albums #2 and FCCB #71

I'm spending most of my crafting time on the mini albums I'm making for my girlfriends (see post below).  I've gotten into a groove making the albums, and now the real challenge is to make a cover for each album that's unique.  So far, I've managed to come up with unique album covers.

Since the latest FCCB challenge is to make a fun project for a friend, I'm entering the album covers I've finished this week.  Here they are:

I used the Bargello technique from SplitCoast Stampers to make this cover (here's the post: Bargello)

This tutorial at Operation Write Home inspired me for this cover: Starburst

I cut this balloon using SCAL and an image from Lettering Delight's Balloon Craze.  Love it.

I made a mini banner and used baker's twine to string it on the cover.  "Memories" was written with my Cri-Kit pens and I cut out the embellishments from DCWV's Citrus paper pack.

This was a simple sailboat, waves and sun I cut out using SCAL. 

Since we scrapbook at the beach, I wanted to use flip flops on one of the covers.  I put some Stickles on them to "bling" them up a bit.

That's all I've got for now, but I'm not done yet!  My girlfriends don't know I've got a blog, so they won't see this ahead of time.  I can't wait to give them their albums in October!

Thanks for looking!



Where everybody knows your name....

I am lucky enough to have a brick-and-mortar scrapbook store near me -- it's called Scrappin' Creations in the Village at Sandhills, Columbia SC.  I love the store because when I walk in, I'm greeted by name!  How often does that happen?

It's soo important to shop local when you have the chance because the non-chain stores cater to your needs.  My store hold monthly/quarterly crops that are lots of fun!

If you're ever near Columbia be sure to stop by Scrappin' Creations!



My Pink Stamper Design Team Call

Hi everyone!  I'm back from vacation in upstate New York and back to scrapbooking and crafting.  Robyn from My Pink Stamper is having a Design Team call and I thought I'd try out.

Robyn's challenge is:

Make a card, scrapbook page, or other Cricut project with your favorite Cricut cartridge using the following colors......
Orange, Turquoise, Green, Brown, Other optional color - I chose Yellow I'm working on making 17 paper bag albums for my scrappin' girlfriends and I'm making the album cover different for each one.  For this cover, I used Robyn's challenge colors and here's the cover: 

 Recipe:Cricut ExpressionSun: Everyday Paper Dolls, page 40, cut at 1 3/4 inchesUmbrella & beach ball: SCAL and SVG filesSun/Turquoise paper: DCWV Citrus stack (loooovin' this paper!)Brown sand paper: Creative Memories (probably not sold any longer)Striped paper - unknown It would be exciting and challenging to work with Robyn and I'd love to use her stamps to make cards for our soldiers!  Her design team call is here:MPS Design Team Good luck to all of the talented ladies who are entering and I know we'll be watching this Saturday to find out who will be the next MPS Design Star! Thanks for looking!

Parasailing!

Wohoo!  I just got back from vacation.  One of the unexpected things that I did was go parasailing! It was tons of fun and though I didn't plan on doing it, it turned out great.  Here's a short video of me filming as I'm parasailing (I know...I'm nuts) over Lake George, NY:

Parasailing

Paper Bag Mini Album - FCCB Challenge #65

Hi everyone!  For many years, I've been going to scrap weekends at Myrtle Beach with my girlfriends and this October will be the 10th anniversary of our getaways.  In honor of this, we're making each other gifts and my gift will be a mini album to give each gal.  I've never made a mini album and so I've been struggling with ideas that are quick, cheap and easy.

Finally, I came upon a video for a Paper Bag Mini Album from Following the Paper Trail blog (here it is: Paper Bag tutorial) and now I made my first mini album!  It was easy to make and I did it in about 3 hours (the housework will just have to wait).  For the album cover, I cut out a sun on my Cricut and used SCAL and my Cri-kit pens to write "Scrappin Memories". 

Here's the front cover of the album:

This shows the paper bag pages of the album:

We always take a group picture from each scrap retreat and I'm going to put them on the tags that I inserted into each envelope.  I added ribbon to each tag:

This shows you the thickness of the album.  I've used chipboard on the front and back to give the album weight and sturdiness:

I'm so pleased with the results!  Now I only have to make 10 more of them before our next retreat.  :-)  I'm entering this in two challenges:
FCCB challenge #65 - use a sun on a project - FCCB #65
Getting Cricky - created a penned project -  Getting Cricky

Thanks for looking!