World Card Making Day

Saturday was World Card Making Day.  It was also my daughter's homecoming dance.  As a result, I didn't have much time to play.  But I did crank out cards for the six challenges at Studio Calico.  They were all super quick and easy.....

Challenge 1: Use a project life card

I had been hoarding that stitched card forever and it was perfect for this challenge.

Challenge 2:  A fall card

It turns out that I have almost nothing fall like in my stash so this was a tough one.  That wood veneer piece from the last Pinkfresh Studio kit saved me.  And I did like the gold and copper against the dark blue background.

Challenge 3:  Use an alph stamp or alpha stickers 

This card was all about the colors.  Sometimes a simple design with great colors can have a big impact.

Challenge 4:  Use a stamp or die you haven't used before.

I rarely use my stamps and have gotten rid of tons (literally maybe) over the summer.  But this one I loved.  I went way out of my comfort zone with layered stamping, stamping on wood and even using watercolors for the sky.  It might just be my favorite card in the bunch.

Challenge 5 - Use at least two die-cuts

I used the scribble circle die from pinkfresh studios and a feather die from studio calico for this quick and easy card.  I like that it is so versatile and could be used in a number of situations.

Challenge 6:  a Christmas card that could be mailed easily and that is reproducable.

My original plan was to use gold heat embossing on the sentiment.  But after several tries, I couldn't get a result that left the word "twinkle" clear.  I did use an old trick here and chalk the edges of each layer.  It helps to give the illusion of dimension when you don't want to add thickness.


 Even though I didn't have much time to play, 6 cards was enough to remind me of all the reasons I enjoy card-making (even though I really consider myself a traditional scrapbooker.  Here are my top five reasons:

1.  It's a great way to try new techniques - things are way less intimidating on a small scale project and I'm generally way less worried about "ruining" something.  I mean I actually used my watercolors on a project.........
2. I use products that otherwise wouldn't ever get used - like that kite.  It was super cute but I wasn't sure I was ever going to use it.
3.  I have the hardest time throwing away scraps - but those small pieces of paper have a tendency to get out of control.  Cards are the perfect way to use them.
4. Sending a homemade card is a great way to share my love of papercrafting with all those people in my life who just don't get it.  (We all have those people right?)
5. I can make a really pretty card with lots of layers very quickly (as compared to making a layout).  This is a great way to squeeze in some scrapping time in a really busy week.
6. I actually use my stamps.

So did you participate in world card making day?  What did you make?

Vellum!

I have lots of scrap related obsessions, but lately vellum has been on the top of the list.  I love that it has been included in collections in lots of colors, prints and textures lately.  And I have quite a stash.

Most often I use it for layering in a photo block.  But when I saw the current sketch on the My Scraps and More Sketch Blog, I decided to try using vellum as the inspiration for my layout.  The sketch uses lots of strips of paper and I thought it would be fun to layer strips of vellum.

The layered vellum strips created a light girly look that i really like.  I mostly used strips from my scraps. And I added in a few strips of white and gray patterned paper to make the strips feel more substantial.   More vellum and a glassine bag to create a photo block finished off the layers across the page.

I dug out some old Basic Grey chipboard alphas for the title and added some embellishments.  And I just couldn't resist that floral stamp from the Studio Calico Lisse Street kit.  I lvoe that it looks like a doodle.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Big Photo

I used to scrap 4x6 photos period.  Now my favorite photo size is either 4x4 or 3x3.  But I still like to mix it up.  So those 4x6 and 3x5 photos creep into my layouts.  And sometimes I order polaroid style prints from Persnickety Prints.  And I have a stack of larger photos on my desk.  So Sunday I pulled out a 6x12 photo.

The photo of my 14 year old daughter swinging and laughing is one of my favorites from last summer.  She is 15 now and I am afraid there won't be too many more pictures of swinging and playing and being a kid.  And because the photo caught the sense of motion - check out her hair - I ordered a large print because I didn't want to lose any of the details or the sense of joy. 

The layout is super simple.  I just layered patterned paper and vellum to one side ofthe photo to add interest.  On the other side I added a column of vellum hearts from Sevenpaper, going from large to small.  I need about a zillion packs of those hearts!

The title went right on the photo.  Those giant chipboard letters from Studio Calico's Lisse Street scrapbook kit were perfect for this.  (I could use a few zillion packs of those too).  I added the date and a phrase sticker to my paper layers near the bottom of the page.  A few glittery hears and a die cut mounted with foam squares and I was done. 

I am a ridiculously slow scrapper and I don't think this took me more than 45 minutes.  Of course, I was helped with inspiration from mem186 at Studio Calico.  She picked an awesome layout for me to lift that was the real starting point here. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Obsessing Over Die Cuts

I love adding layers and little details to my layouts.  So I am thrilled with all of the die cut and ephemera packs that have been coming out with the new collections.  They provide quick and easy layers, can provide places to journal and add details that pull your eye through a layout.  I think thee are die cuts on almost every layout I do these days.

I sort my die cuts by color and store them in Elle Avery envelopes that way.  So most often I mix and match die cuts from different manufacturer's and collections.  But this layout was a layout I made using the November Studio Calico kits.   One of the add-ons included the ephemera pack from the newest Maggie Holmes collection - Open Book.

 

When working with a kit, I usually start with the patterned papers.  I pick 3-5 that I really like together and lay them on the desk.  For this layout I had 3 papers picked - the navy text, the pink dot, and the mossy green chevron.  I had a scrap of the purple Basic Grey paper sitting there from a prior project.

My initial idea was to layer the three papers I'd chosen on the picture.  But I couldn't get it to "work."  Eventually I pulled the layers apart to create a horizontal block across the layout .  I really liked that, but the picture didn't look right (I'd already cropped it with my original concept in mind and I had way to much space on one side of my layout)  

I started by building up the photo block, adding a piece of the purple Basic Grey scrap and another paper from the kit - the white with cork polka dots.  I folded a glassine bag that was used to pack kit embellishments in half under the photo  - this is a great way to add texture and dimension and to reuse packing material.  This gave the photo more weight but I still needed to balance it on the other side of my layout.  

Those die cuts really came to the rescue - I took a smaller piece of the purple scrap on my desk and placed it opposite the picture.  I layered three die cuts to create an element on my layout that balanced the photo.  I added a gold polka dot tag from Pebbles to the cluster and placed a kraft thicker heart from Amy Tangerine on top of the tag.  I used enamel dots to hold the tag string so it looks like the tag is hanging on the layout.

To finish I added another diecut cluster at the top of the page, mixing in antoher one of those kraft thickers and a label from my kit. I love that floral banner

 A shipping tag die cut went under the photo, a phrase label from the kit went on top of the photo and I added one more die cut to create a third element in the large horizontal piece across my layout.  I pulled some old thickers from my stash for the title and created some hand-written journaling strips to finish off the the design.  (I may be the last person in the world to figure this out, but those journaling strips don't have to be white - I used pale blue cardstock and love the softer look.) And of course, every layout needs some ink splatters (I just need to learn to let them dry before I touch them.I used navy color shine from Heidi Swapp here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

December Daily-ish - Embellishments.

Yesterday I talked a lot about the paper choices I made for my album.  Today I'm talking about embellishments .  As I thought about embellishments, I came up with the following principles to help choose embellishments:

• I wanted a mix of holiday and non-holiday themed embellishments
• I wanted a mix of textures and colors
• I didn't want to end up with a lot of things to put away when the project was done.

Again I looked at the different kits out there to see what appealed to me.  For instance I love seeing holiday words in script form so I was excited to find some heidi swapp holiday word stickers in my stash.  And I may well buy some cut files so I can play with this look more.

I also realized that I am going to work on my album here at home most if not all the time.  And my scrap room organization is about having things where I can see them since I use what I see.  But my holiday embellishments are stored in two Iris boxes and are hard to dig through.  So I decided to focus on pulling holiday embellishments and adding reminders of non-holiday themed embellishments to my kit rather than pulling everything I might want to use.  (Remember - I don't want a lot to put away at the end of the project.)

So here is a photo that gives you a feel for the embellishment mix I've chosen.

 Here are the items I've chosen:

• die cuts - a mix of traditional, vellum, and acetate pieces so I can add a variety of textures
• rub-ons - I love using rub-ons lately, especially directly on a photo since I don't have access to photoshop.  Those gold star rub-ons were from Chic Tags last Christmas
• bags, pockets, folders and envelopes - perfect for creating inserts to hold journaling and memorabilia
• trim - I pulled a mix of ribbons and twine
• tags - love those gold glitter tags from Pebbles
• flair - a mix of traditional flair, cameos from Webster's Pages that were in my stash and those Glitz giant gems.
• washi tape - a variety of colors, widths, and textures
• wood veneer - both painted (from Basic Grey's 25th and Pine collection) and unfinished
• frames - I love frames in pockets, on inserts and on top of page protectors.  They are a great way to add dimension.  I have a mix including Crate paper, Studio Calico and My Minds Eye
• That fabric tag from an old Basic Grey collection was in my stash.  I added it specifically for the texture.
• Stickers
• Enamel dots (I found those gold and silver ones from Teresa Collins at JoAnns but have easy access to lots of colors and sizes)
• sequins - the stars from Studio Calico's Magical collection are in my kit, but again, lots of colors and sizes are in easy reach
• stickers - these are from the 25 days class kit but I have other holiday themed stickers in my kit also
• buttons - the holiday themed ones are from Fancy Pants, but my button bowl is right by my desk.

And of course, every album needs some alphas.  I pulled a few I was pretty sure I would use, but will likely go to my stash also.  And I did by the Gossamer Blue plaid alphas just for this project.  Swoon.

And while I am not much of a stamper, I am really working to use my stamps more.  So I pulled my holiday themed stamps out to store with my kit.  Some of these are from the November Studio Calico kits also.

And finally I went through my stash of project life style cards and pulled some that fit with my colors that I thought I might use.  (Since I store my cards by color this was pretty quick to do.)

So by now you should be sick of hearing about my kit.  But just in case you are still interested, I will share a bit about kit organization tomorrow.

Don't forget to leave a comment for an entry into my holiday giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by.

December Daily-ish - Choosing Paper (and a winner)

I've got it together now - I took my December Daily kit pictures over the weekend (when I had daylight), so we are good to go!  As I mentioned before, I am starting my album with Thanksgiving, since that kicks off our holiday season, and I am not worried about documenting every day. (Somedays it is about work, school and sleep at my house - even in December.)  Instead I am focused on capturing our holidays whenever they happen. 

Today I am  talking about paper.  I choose my color palette at the start of this project - if you've forgotten it is a light blue, soft red, black, lime green and pink.  To me it's a modern take on
traditional holiday colors.

So I knew those were the colors that I wanted in my paper choices.  And I've noticed that I am using paper that is not holiday themed for my traditional Christmas layouts more often than not.  But I love Christmas supplies, so I have quite a stash.  So I decided to mix holiday and non holiday papers for this project.  And I looked at the paper choices in the different December Daily kits to get a sense of what the experts chose and what appealed to me the most.  Here are my primary paper choices.

I tried to get a balanced assortment of the different colors in my palette, plus some prints.  I cut them all down to 6x8 sheets (the largest I will use in my snap album).  Many of the choices came from my scrap files.  But in most cases I also ended up with a 4x6 piece that I am also keeping with my kit.

 I know I am going to use gold as an accent through my album.  So I also wanted to choose some papers that added gold.  I love these papers because they bring a mix of textures to the project.  These are also cut down to 6x8.  My favorite might just be the gold glitter stripes from Pebbles.

And then there are some sheets of paper designed to be cut apart into project life style cards.  I left these whole for now since I wasn't sure how I would use them at this part.  But they are a huge value when working on a mini album.  Most of these are from this year's Websters Pages holiday collections (one of my only holiday themed purchases this year), but I've been hoarding that sheet from Studio Calico.

And finally some vellum (I love vellum!!!) - These sheets are from Webster's Pages also.  I've left them whole and will cut them apart when I know where and how I am using them.  That glitter vellum is amazing and that pieces that says "New Year" might just end my album. And while I haven't pulled any for my kit, I have some of the Brighton Pier gold star vellum in my stash and it might just find its way into this album. 

Sorry this got so long, but paper is near and dear to my heart.  Don't forget to leave a comment today for an entry into my holiday themed giveaway. 


Finally a winner

I almost forgot to pick a winner for the blog rebirth giveaway.  Sorry about that!  But this morning I put names in a hat and let my husband pick.  And he picked:

RebeccaNovember 11, 2014 at 8:39 AM

I follow your blog through an app called feedly. So it may not show up on your list of followers, but I am following!!!

Rebecca - please send me your mailing info so I can get this out to you! If I don't hear from you, I will pick a new winner on December 1st.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Lily Bee Challenge

Lily Bee is sponsoring a challenge and the prize is a Gossamer Blue kit.  The challenge is looking for a summer themed layout using at least 50% Lily Bee Products.  I like Lily Bee a lot but have a hard time finding much in my local stores.  So I started by pulling all the Lily Bee papers and embellishments I had in my stash.  I had a pretty good selection of papers, but almost no embellishments.  So I picked a base paper and then cut other papers to create a custom look.

Since time at Lake Erie has meant summer to me since I was growing up, I knew I wanted to use that as my theme.  Here's what I ended up with.

 

The pieces I cut from Lily Bee paper seemd to bright against the orange and white background paper, so I added vellum circles.  Most of the stickers are Lily Bee, but I added Studio Calico stars and Freckled Fawn enamel dots.  And that heart in my title is from Fancy Pants. I don't know if its a winner, but this layout makes me smile when I remember time at the beach.

Have a super Sunday!  Hope you have a chance to scrap.

Choose Happiness with Gossamer Blue and Crate Paper

In my last post, I talked about being stuck and spending a whole day trying to put a layout together.  Monday after work, I had a different experience - this layout came together in about 90 minutes.

Gossamer Blue posted an inspiration challenge on Friday that caught my eye when I came across it yesterday.  Here is one of the inspiration pieces.

I've never done a Gossamer Blue challenge before, but choosing happiness (and not letting events or the choices of others choose for me) is something I'm working on.  So this challenge really captured my imagination when I came across it.  I coudn't wait to get home Monday and put something together.

My favorite papers right now are from Crate Papers line, "The Pier"  so I started with those.  I added a little "Maggie Holmes" and a pink chevron paper from "Fourteen."  Most of the embellishments I pulled were also from "The Pier" but I had a great Heidi Swapp chipboard sticker that was the word "happy" I knew I wanted to use and you can never go wrong with a doily.  Here's the end product.

I love the stitched banners in "The Pier" die-cut pack.  They are the perfect way for non-sewers like me to add stitched detail.

And the Pink Paislee Luxe rubons added the perfect finishing shine. 

This turned out to be one of my all time favorites.  Maybe it came together so quickly because I really felt the sentiment behind the layout. I just might hang it in my scrap room as a reminder that it is up to me to choose happiness.

In the meantime, I have a conference to attend today.  I hope you have a terrific Tuesday.