Repurposing Stamps -- CAS-ual Friday Challenge

I needed to make a card to congratulate my nephew and his family on their new home but I didn't have any stamps for the occasion. So, what's a stamper to do you might ask? Repurpose the stamps you do have. Since this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge was to create a project that features a tree, I looked through my Christmas stamps and found the perfect image. Here's my card: 

I covered the front of an A2 card with pattern paper. I cut the blue pattern paper slightly smaller and stamped the Hero Arts branch. I created the birdhouse by covering a Maya Road chipboard house with wood-grain paper. For the opening in the birdhouse, I used a wood veneer heart covered in Stickles. I dab of Glossy Accents held the twine in place. After stamping the sentiment, I used a white gel pen to draw an outline around the image.

I don't think anyone would guess that this was a Christmas stamp. And, the best thing about finding holiday stamps that can pull double duty is that you can usually find holiday stamps on clearance. Wink ;) Wink ;)

Supplies:
Cardstock (not shown): Bazzill Card Shoppe (Marshmallow); 
Pattern Paper: Crate Paper (DIY Shop); blue is from my scrap basket;
Stamps: Hero Arts (K5242 Big Pine Bough);
Ink: Stampin' UP!;
Misc.: Maya Road Chipboard, Studio Calico Wood Veneer; Signo White Gel Pen; Stickles.

You're So Tweet: A Card for the CAS-ual Fridays, SSS and ColourQ Challenges

Today's card is for three  challenges -- The CAS-ual Fridays Create with 8 challenge ...

...the Colour Q challenge....

... and the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge. 

Using the Simon Says Stamp October card kit and keeping the design simple made this card come together quickly. And quick was just what I needed since I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner! The only things I added were Versamark ink and brown embossing powder. Here's my card:

If you are wondering what the "8" is for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge, just count the visual elements on the card. I used four strips of pattern paper, one sentiment, one piece of twine and two sequins.

I kept this card flat since it was being mailed to my niece who was not home for Thanksgiving this year. I hope it brightened her day!

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp October 2013 Card Kit plus VersaMark ink; Zing embossing powder (Chestnut); and We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

SPARKS Challenge

Today, I made a card for the SPARKS Design Team call. Using this picture as inspiration.....

 ...I made this card:

To create this card, I scored and folded my cardstock to a standard A2 size. Next, I took a piece of Tim Holtz Watercolor paper and eyeballed where I wanted to stamp the sentiment. Placing the die over this spot, I ran the paper through my die cutting machine so that the sentiment could be stamped in the negative space. I then stamped the trail of butterflies across the paper and colored them with Tim Holtz Distress markers. I used a damp paintbrush to to create the water color affect. Before adding foam adhesive on the water color paper, I placed it on top of my card so I could mark where to stamp the sentiment. After I stamped it, I adhered the stamped image to the card. Here's a closer look:

 I kept the inside pretty simple, stamping and coloring a coordinating butterfly next to the sentiment.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill; Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper;
Stamps: Paper Smooches (Flap Happy; Birthday Sampler);
Die: Paper Smooches (Butterflies 2);
Ink: StazOn (Black); Tim Holtz Distress Markers (Spun Sugar; Picked Raspberry);

Moxie Fab Trick or Treat!

When I saw this Moxie Fab image that Cath Edvalson posted, I knew what I had to do.

I pulled out this Prima doll stamp which I had bought only last month...

and made this card for my niece:

.
Thanks for the inspiration Cath! Happy Halloweeen!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Spectrum Noir (white); Papertery Ink (black);
Patterned Paper: October Afternoon (Witch Hazel);
Stamp: Prima (Julie Nutting); Making Memories (sentiment);
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Tim Holtz Distress (Weathered Wood); Spectrum Noir Markers (FS3; CT4; CR10; True Black); Wink of Stella (Clear);
Misc.: Recollections (cat embellishment).

Too Cute to Spook

Last year, I was lucky enough to win the All Hallow's Eve collection from Carta Bella. These papers were unlike any in my Halloween bin since there were no bright oranges, purples or greens. Just rich browns and spooky blacks.  To make my pictures fit the mood of the papers, I took to Photo Shop and played around with some actions from Pioneer Woman. I was lucky enough to be able to tone down my pictures without losing the color.  Here's my layout:  

With just a few exceptions, all of the products are Carta Bella. The journaling card, titled "This Year's Costumes," made me think of these pictures from a few years ago. The journaling reads: What a coincidence! You and Sara had picked out your costumes long before making plans to trick-or-treat together. Imagine, 2 cute vampirettes! 

In addition to the new Carta Bella papers and stickers, I dug out the bat felt fusion from Queen & Co. I think I bought it the first year I was scrapbooking. In the past, I always had difficulty adhering it. Now, I use washi tape to get it down straight. I adhere the felt fusion with the back still on right side down to a piece of washi tape. I take off the backing, put it into place and then peel back the washi tape. This trick works for intricate gem designs too!

Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts (black);

Patterned Paper/Stickers: Carta Bella All Hallow'd Eve Collection;

Punches: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page (Spiderweb); EK Success (Extra Large Bat);

Misc.: Feckled Fawn washi (Telephone Wire); Queen & Co. Felt Fusion (bats); Making Memories brads; Glossy Accents

Paper Smooches and Simon Says Say It With Stamps Challenge

I have a quick card to share with you tonight for the Simon Says Stamp Say It With Stamps Challenge. This challenge focuses on the words. I wanted to use the Tim Holtz Distress Water Color Cardstock that I recently acquired. One of the last covers of Papercrafts Magazine (insert frowny face!) served as my inspiration. Here's my card:

To create this card, I lined my sentiments up on my work mat, using the lines to make sure that they were straight. (I got the idea for stamp placement from Jennifer McGuire but I can't for the life of me find her card to link to.) Anyway, I used a Fiskars stamp press to pick them up in the same position. I stamped using Versamark ink and then heat set with clear embossing powder. (Note, it is essential that your stamps are clean when using clear embossing powder. Don't ask me how I know!) Next, I scribbled distress markers onto my craft mat, spritzed some water and painted my sentiment block. I always love watching the magic of stamp resist.  I stamped the die-cut butterfly and used the same technique to color it and adhered it to my card with a foam dot.

Supplies:
Paper: Bazzill Cardshop Cardstock (Marshmallow); Tim Holtz Distress Water Color Carstock; Authentique Pattern Paper (Lively);
Stamps: Paper Smooches (Flap Happy; Birthday Sampler);
Die: Paper Smooches (Butterfly 3);
Inks: VersaMark; StazOn (Brown); Tim Holtz Distress Markers (Picked Raspberry, Shabby Shutters)
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder

Welcome to Paris

So my sister, who loves all things having to do with France, celebrated another birthday.  Here is the card I made her:

I let the Prima paper take the center stage for this one and only added a stamped sentiment to the die cut tag. I also added a row of machine stitching above and below the Eiffel Towers.  To top off the tag, I added red seam binding, a Prima flower and a fabric brad. (Got to use up my stash!) Finally, I used my Wink of Stella pen to add a little bit of shimmer to the iconic image on the tag.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink;
Patterned Paper: Prima (Welcome to Paris);
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Wink of Stella Pen
Tools: Papertrey Ink die (Tag Sale #1)
Embellishments: Ribbon (Technique Tuesday); Flower (Prima); Brad from my stash; machine stitching

Underwater Camera

So the other day, my daughter told me that I have become a card-maker who also scraps. GASP! However, judging by the looks of my blog, she may be right. While I definitely consider myself to be a scrapper at heart, I have been making 10+ cards each month in my effort keep up with all of the special occasions being celebrated by family and friends. Finding time to make these "must-have" cards seems to require lest justifying than scrapping. (Sadly I have only scrapped once or twice this summer.)

The other reason behind showcasing more cards than layouts on the blog is that, frankly, I find cards to be easier to photograph than layouts. And, because of that, I have a stack of layouts waiting to be photographed before I put them in an album. Here's one that I did manage to snap a few photos of before adding it to the album.

These pictures are from Roatan, Honduras. We cruised there two years ago and wound up getting stuck at sea for two extra days thank to Tropical Storm Lee. (But that's a story for an entirely different layout!) This was Mark and Melissa's first time snorkeling and I bought a disposable underwater camera for them to share. The pictures are far from perfect, but I love how they captured they day.

To create this layout, I used the ombre patterned paper as my background since it totally matched the hues from the water. On the left side, I fussy cut the scallops on the Studio Calico patterned paper and layered them with the Dear Lizzy stripe and a Crate Paper border sticker. The "R" came from Crate Paper chipboard and was perfect just for this layout about Roatan. And, seriously, since no one in my family has "R" for an initial, when else was I going to use it!

I created a visual triangle of wood-tone elements between the SC paper, the chipboard letters in the title and the banner in the upper right. Since that banner did not have a sentiment appropriate for this layout, I layered a sticker on top of it. (Yellow elements form another visual triangle.) I also added some stamping on vellum in the upper and lower right-hand corners. The button helps ground the sentiment and creates a third visual triangle of round elements.  Here's a closer look at the title. I added the letters on top of the picture to hide some of its imperfections.

Since I made this layout about six months ago, I am a little fuzzy on the product details.  Sorry :( I will do my best to capture them below.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, American Crafts (Dear Lizzy);
Embellishments:  Crate Paper border stickers and chipboard; October Afternoon label stickers, button and flair; Bella Blvd. letter stickers; Technique Tuesday stamps; Papertrey Ink ink; My Mind's Eye enamel dots and word stickers.

Finding Inspiration in Creative Chaos + Two Challenges

The inspiration for today's clean and simple card came from the the creative chaos on my craft mat. I was making this card for a design team assignment and had butterfly stamps and die cuts all over my work mat .....

 ....when all of a sudden, I stopped seeing the small stamp as a butterfly. Instead, I saw a flower and its trail was suddenly a stem! I knew I wanted to keep the card simple since I was making it for the 10 Minute Craft Dash.  Here's what I created in 8 minutes and 32 seconds:

I used this sketch from Paper Smooches Designer Drafts Challenge as the starting point for my design and made some minor adjustments. 

And here's a close-up of the butterfly turned flower. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but I used foam adhesive to make the top of the flower pop off the page. The bottom is mounted flush to the page with liquid adhesive.

Supplies: 

Paper: Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock (pink); Tim Holtz Distress Water Color Cardstock (white);

Stamp: Paper Smooches Flap Happy (butterfly); Birthday Sampler (sentiment)

Die: Paper Smooches Butterflies 3

Ink: StazOn (Brown); Tim Holtz Distress markers (Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry)

Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue

Simon Says...Thank You

My August Simon Says Stamp card kit came in the mail yesterday but I was too busy to play. Nevertheless, I thought I would share a card I made using the April kit. Since the card was going to a music teacher who had worked with Mark for his Senior Project, I thought I would swap out the washi tape in the kit with I roll I had with a musical theme. Here's the card:

To make it, I cut a standard sized A2 card, scored it at the top and ran it through my Cuttlebug to get the embossed dots. Because I wanted the music notes to really pop, I cut a strip of white card stock and adhered the washi tape to it. I added a piece of black card stock that I had punched with the postage stamp punch to ground it. For the Fancy Pants envelope, I used a Spellbinders die to cut out the half circle on the envelope. This was the hardest part of the project. The envelope was so thick that I must have run it thgrough the Cuttlebug half a dozen times! Once I got the circle cut, I stamped my sentiment added the star and embroidery floss and adhered it to my project.

And, because I have more than enough washi tape to last me a lifetime, I used some to decorate the envelope.

So what's the perfect gift for a music teacher? An iTunes card, of course!

Supplies:
Cardstock, envelope and embelishments: Simon Says Stamp April card kit.
Tools: Spellbinders (Classic Circles) EK Success border punch (Postage stamp)
Misc.: Washi tape from my stash

It's a Boy!

That was the news that came out of London this week as the future King of England was born. I have to admit that I was secretly hoping for a girl just to test Parliament's recent decree allowing a female heir to the throne. But 2013 seems to be the Year of the Boy --especially around here. I welcomed a new grand-nephew in March and am awaiting the birth of his cousin -- another boy -- in October. That makes four grand nephews to love! So being surrounded by Baby Boy Fever, I thought I would share a card I made to welcome the newest addition to our family. Here it is:

This card couldn't be simpler to make once I selected the paper. To create it, I cut a standard A2 size card and opted to score it on the side. I know, I usually favor a top score but I wanted to round the corners on the right. Next, I adhered the pattern paper (My Mind's Eye Lost and Found) and ribbon onto the card base and stamped the sentiment. I stamped the onesie onto a complimentary pattern and added the bear. (The thing I like about this stamp set is the different motifs to choose from to personalize the onesie.) Finally, I did a little fussy cutting, popped the onsie with some foam adhesive, rounded the corners and my card was done. Easy peasy!

So, Royal Watchers...did you hear that Will and Kate named the new prince George Alexander Louis? I thought that Spencer would figure into one of the middle names but I guess it wasn't regal enough!

Supplies
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye Lost and Found (Portobello Road)
Stamps: Stamps of Life (Onesie4baby)
Ink: Colorbox
Ribbon: Recollection

Lest We Forget...I Scrapbook Too!

It's been a long time since I have shared a scrapbook layout on the blog. And there's two reasons for that. First, I have been making many more cards than layouts lately and if I wasn't making cards, then Hallmark would be getting rich. The second reason comes down to the basics. I just find it easier to photograph a card than I do a layout. So often, I get a glare from the photos that streaks across the page making a photo less than ideal to post. Guess I just have to become more knowledgeable about using Photoshop.

Anyway, today's layout highlights a very special story around my Mom's 80th birthday. My sisters, brother and I had planned a small surprise party for her with family and very dear friends. However, due to final exam schedules, the party was planned for the week after her birthday. Since her birthday fell on a Saturday, I didn't want her to be alone so I decided to give her a surprise outing. The only hint I gave her ahead of the day was to tell her she needed to wear comfortable clothes. When she arrived at my house, I presented her with a hand-made card (of course!) that revealed the secret. We were going to spend the day in New York City where I was going to take her to lunch and for a ride on a jet boat. What made this more special was that a year earlier, when she was on a cruise to the Caribbean, she was signed up for a jet boat ride as one of her shore excursions. However, something went wrong and the shore excursion was cancelled. My mom had really looked forward to that ride (she is an adventurer at heart) and was really disappointed when the tour operator cancelled it. I was so happy to give her this special gift of an outing. Here's my layout:

The layout uses papers and embellishments from Pebbles Hip Hip Hooray collection which I was lucky enough to have won during a CHA sneak last year. I only added a few things: American craft cardstock, word stickers from October Afternoon's Cakewalk collection, and some stamping. Here's a closer look at the title:

The journaling reads: Going on a jet boat ride was something you always talked about doing. Your 80th birthday seemed like the perfect day to surprise you with a ride on the Beast!

To create the banner, I strung a piece of twine across each of the two pages and added a mixture of the Pebbles Glitter Flag banners to it. I only put adhesive on the backs of the banners. I tied each end in a bow and anchored it on the ends with a dab of Glossy Accents.

As for the the October Afternoon stickers, they matched the layout perfectly. Here's a closer look:

If you are every in New York City, I highly recommend a trip on the Beast!

Supplies:
Cardstock: American Crafts;
Patterned Paper, Letter Stickers and Embellishments: Pebbles (Hip Hip Hooray);
Stickers: October Afternoon (Cakewalk);
Stamps: Technique Tuesday
Ink: Jenni Bowlin (Cough Syrup);
Twine: Martha Stewart

First Online Card Class Card

I signed up for the Summer Card Camp 2 from Online Card Class. Unfortunately, things have been pretty busy around here and I haven't been able to play along as much as I want to. (I do have life-time access to the class so that is a plus!) I did manage to make a card that combines a sketch, color combination and technique highlighted during Week 1.

To create the multi-colored sentiment, I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to duplicate Jennifer McGuire's technique. I topped the flower and the center of the leaves with Diamond Stickles for a little extra something.

Off to catch up on Week 2 assignments!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Hero Arts (Envelope Pattern); Simon Says Stamp (Happy Every Day); Papertrey Ink (Happiness in Bloom);
Inks: My Favorite Things  (Orange Fizz; Blu Raspberry, Jelly Bean Green, Sour Apple; Razzle Berry
Tools: Papertrey Ink Dies (Happiness in Bloom, Mat Stack 3 ); EK Success Corner Rounder;
Misc.: Diamond Stickles; Recollection Rhinestone Sticker

First Design Team Post at Scrapper's Playground & a RAK

My first Design Team Post is up at Scrapper's Playground. Want to see what I made from all of these supplies?

Head on over to their blog. And, if you leave a comment there and come back here to tell me you did, I have an extra 6x6 pad of My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing Lavender to give away to one lucky person. RAK closes on Sunday, July 21.

Sending Birthday Wishes

Today's card was inspired by Maile Belles. She often does an offset design with clean and simple stamping so I decided to give it a try.  Here's my card:

The paper is from Basic Grey's Hipster line. When I saw this particular pattern, I thought that Papertrey Ink's  Happiness in Bloom set matched perfectly. Lucky for me, I had just purchased it!

This is a top-fold card.First I adhered a strip of patterned paper down the left side., Then I trimmed about an inch off of the side of the Soft Stone cardstock and began stamping. I used liquid glue to adhere the strip of TIm Holtz Core'dination cardstock. I then popped the entire panel on foam adhesives. Yes, I used a lot of dimensional adhesive on this card but the impact it adds made it worth it.

I am submitting this one to The Birthday Linky Challenge.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Soft Stone); Tim Holtz Core'dination (Shattered)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey (Hipster)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Happiness in Blooms)
Ink: Papertrey Ink

Simple Summer=One Layer Card

I was inspired to create a one layer card for the simple summer challenge on the Hero Arts blog. Since I had several thank you cards to make, I knew this was a good idea for mass production. I pulled out a really old v vintage stamp set that I bought at Scrapper's Playground many years ago. The sentiment came from another oldie but goody Hero Arts set. Add to that some kraft cardstock, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder and, well, it doesn't get much simpler than that.  Here's my card:

The stamped image at the top of the card is actually made from just two stamps. To make it easier to mass produce, I positioned them on my Fiskars stamp press.  I added the sentiment separately. This card would definitely qualify for a 10-minute dash!

Supplies
Cardstock: Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Hero Arts (CL386 Stencil Art; CL148 Happiness Messages)
Ink: VersaMark; American Crafts Zing embossing powder (white)
Tools: EK Success Corner Rounder; Fiskars stamp press

10-Minute Craft Dash #21 and Exciting News

I needed a quick card for my friend who was having a 4th of July BBQ so I decided to challenge myself with the 10-Minute Craft Dash. This weeks challenge was to make a card that features stars in under ten minutes. For those of you who don't know me in real life, let me just tell you that I am a slow crafter. Making a card in under ten minutes is way out of my comfort zone. But I managed to pull this one together in 9:52. It definitely helped to have a plan limited number of supplies out on the table ready to go. Just so happens that also works for Simon Says Stamp Patriotic challenge. Here's my card:

To create the focal image, I stamped the stars with VersaMark ink, added clear embossing powder and zapped them with my heat tool. To add the red and blue, I swiped the Tim Holtz distress inks on a craft mat. After spritzing each color with a little water, I painted it onto my image for a really simple resist technique. I stamped the sentiment with StazOn ink, added a few sequins and gems and took a deep breath!

Now for my news....I have been chosen to be a card designer for Scrapper's Playground, my local scrapbook store! I will be making two cards a month for them. I just submitted the first one and will let you know when it is posted.

Supplies
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink;
Stamps: Stampin' UP! (Simply Stars); Hero Arts (Celebrate Everyday -- sentiment);
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Barn Door; Salty Ocean); StazOn (Jet Black);
Misc.: Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder (clear); Darico sequins; Recollection rhinestones   

Pomp and Circumstance

It's officially graduation week around here. Mark graduated high school on Sunday and his party is tomorrow. In between all of the preparations, I did manage to find time to make a card for him.  I just haven't photographed it yet. Therefore, today's post features a card I made for my niece who graduated college last month. Here's the card:

After cutting all of the cardstock, I stamped the background using Papertrey Ink's Background Basics: Inspiration stamp set. Although this set wasn't intended to be a graduation set, I knew it offered the perfect advice for any graduate. After marking off a spot for my banner, I stamped the caps. Next, I stamped my sentiment onto a banner that I had cut out using my Cricut. Since I wanted a thinner shadow than my machine would cut, I hand cut the yellow banner. Finally, I added a rhinestone to the top of each cap, adhered the layers and my card was done. Here's a closer look:

I will leave you with a picture of the tossing of the caps from Sunday's celebration. What a fun tradition! I still can't believe that I am the mother of a high-school graduate! 

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (white); Amercican Crafts (purple) Stampin' UP! (Crusched Curry)

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Background Basics: Inspiration; For the Graduate);

Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Stampin' Up! (Crushed Curry); Color Box (Rainbow Pallet

Misc.: Recollections rhinestones

Tools: Cricut

Hope Your Day Is Fabulous!

When I saw the reveal of  June's Simon Says Stamp card kit, I was drawn to all of the geometric patterned papers in Basic Grey's Hipster collection. I knew that they would be great for masculine cards. However, once I had the kit in hand, I was surprised at all of the feminine cards it inspired me to make. Maybe it's because the sweet flower prints reminded me of the Papertrey Ink Happiness in Bloom stamps. Or, maybe it's because the colors were a perfect match to PTI's Melon Berry and Berry Sorbet inks. In either case, I couldn't stop creating cards for the gals on my list with this so-called masculine kit. Here's a card I made for a friend:

To create the flower pot, I used Papertrey Ink's Mat Stack 3 die. I stamped the flower images on the top of the mat and then used the Hero Arts Envelope Pattern stamp on the bottom. I stamped the center flower again on PTI's coaster board which was cut with the matching die. The leaves were stamped on coasters and then fussy cut. I topped the flower pot with PTI's Boutique Borders: Birthday die and stamp.  Here's a closer look:

I always feel a little guilty about throwing away scraps so I usually save them ... and then forget about them. I am trying not to do that anymore. Lately, I find myself using scraps to decorate the inside of my cards and I like the finished look this extra detail gives.

So do you use your scraps right away? Save them for later? Or, throw them away?

Supplies:
Cardstock and Patterned Paper: Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit; Papertrey Ink (Soft Stone);
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Happiness in Bloom; Boutique Borders: Birthday; Stylish Sentiments:Birthday); Hero Arts (Envelope Pattern);
Inks: Papertrey Ink (Melon Berry; Berry Sorbet); Color Box (Chocolate); Stampin' Up! (Crumb Cake);
Tools: Papertrey Ink dies;
Misc.: Papertrey Ink coasters, embroidery floss

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mother's birthday. In honor of her birthday, I am sharing the card I made for her. Here it is: 

 When I saw the "Best Mom Ever" stamp in the May Simon Says Stamp kit, I knew I wanted to use it to make my own patterned paper. I added the heart and dot stamps to give the pattern a little interest. It's hard to tell from this picture but, I used clear embossing powder so in real life there is a nice shine. The flower and leaves were fussy cut and the center part of the flower is popped on a foam dimensional.  Here's a closer look.

This is just one of the ten cards I made this weekend and just one of the 20 cards I need to make by the end of the month.  I'll be back with another card later this week.

Supplies:
Cardstock, Patterned Paper: Simon Says Stamp June 2013 Card Kit;
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp (Best Mom Ever); Papertrey Ink (Boutique Borders Birthday, Happiness in Bloom;
Inks: Papertrey Ink (Melon Berry); Color Box (Chocolate); Stampin' Up (Gumball Green; Old Olive):
VersaMark; Stampin' Up pen(Chocolate Chip);
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch

Making Cards from Scraps

I am a little embarrassed to admit that there are times when I fail to clean off my scrap table dining-room table in between projects. Sometimes, this leads to a bigger mess to clean up. Other times it leads to inspiration. Today's card is an example of the latter.

After using this die to cut the Polaroid frames for the layout I showed in the last post, I was left with a lot of scraps. One of the negatives fell on top of a stamp set I had out and ... Voila! Here's the card :

To make the focal point image, I adhered four pieces of identical patterned paper scraps, one on top of the other. This adds dimension to the piece, much like chipboard. I then stamped the sentiment onto a square piece of kraft cardstock and used it to back the frame. After adhering the sentiment to the center of the card, I added some wood veneer chevrons with a dab of Glossy Accents.  Here's a closer look:

The card is a little more clean and simple than my usual style but I wanted to showcase the wood-grain paper. So, do you clean up after each project or only when there's no more room to create?

Supplies

Cardstock: Simon Says Stamp (wood grain); Bazzill (kraft);

Pattern Paper: Studio Calico Penn Station kit;

Stamps: Hero Arts;

Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black); Black Signo pen;

Embellishments: Studio Calico Wood Veneer.

Project Life Is Not for Me

There, I said it! While I am in awe of the time, creativity and diligence that goes into creating a Project Life album, it's just not a good fit for me at this stage of my life. Maybe it's because my kids are both in high school and shudder when I take the camera out. (At least my son does.) Maybe it's because I choose not to scrap about the piles of laundry that need to be put away or the faded supermarket receipts that need organization. Lord knows, I think about that stuff enough in real life, I don't want to think about it when I scrap. Or, maybe it's because I failed miserably at my two attempts to do Project 12. Both times, I made it through March. No further. If I can't do 12 layouts of this type, how can I commit to 52? Maybe it's because I am not a chronological scrapbooker. Instead, I scrap what inspires me...at that moment. I just don't want my scrapping to start to feel like an obligation and I'm afraid that's what Project Life would be....something else for me to fall behind in doing. I am just trying to keep it real.

The fact that the Project Life process doesn't fit with my scrapping style doesn't mean that I am not drawn to a good recap page that highlights events that are not worthy of a full spread. So, I thought I would give a "Year in Review" page a try. I was inspired by Lisa Dickinson's page that you can see here. I kept the overall design of Lisa's beautiful page.  However, rather than matting Instagrams, I cut out 12 Polaroids using a Papertrey Ink die and then filled the center with square pictures that I punched from 4x6 prints. (Note:
I had to snip a little off the bottom of each Polaroid in order to fit all 12 on the page.) To simplify things, I used two Studio Calico kits (34th Street and Penn Station) that I found under the Christmas tree plus a few trinkets from my stash.

Here's my layout:

Let me tell you a little bit about my process for creating this page. Since there were so many photos, I kept my color pallet fairly neutral using various shades of beige, yellow and blue. Also, I used papers with relatively small-scaled patterns. (Many were B sides.) After cutting out all of the Polaroids and pictures, I began arranging them on my page just so that I could get a sense of how the patterns and colors would go with the picture for a particular month. (Note that the yellow dot is actually the stamp that coordinates with the PTI die.) Once I decided on the basic order of things, I adhered the pictures to the frames and then to the background paper. At this point, I embellished each Polaroid as if it was an individual "page." I did repeat some elements (buttons, wood veneer, washi tape, the Martha Stewart starburst punch and the blue alphabet stickers) to create several visual triangles and create a cohesive look.

Here's a closer look:

Since this page was jam packed, I put a list of events on the back of the page. They are:

• January -- Mark's last Jazz Band Concert at East Meadow High
• February -- Jenn at the Polar Bear Plunge
• March -- Melissa's 8th grade Sports Night at Woodland
• April -- Mark's first day of work at Pathmark
• May -- Thomas helps Sal plant string beans
• June -- Melissa's 8th grade graduation
• July -- Mark's new car
• August -- Cruise to Bermuda on the NCL Star
• September -- Kitchen renovation
• October -- EMHS Jets Marching Band at NYC Columbus Day Parade
• November -- Superstorm Sandy results in 10-day power outage
• December -- Christmas Day

Make sure to stop back early next week. I will be sharing a card I made using the centers of those Polaroids.
Supplies:
Studio Calico Penn Station and 34th Street kits 
Additional Supplies:
Tools: Die (Papertrey Ink), Punches (Martha Stewart Starburst and Snowflake, Marvy Uchida Square); Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Stampin' Up!, Jenni Bowlin
Additional Embellishments: Chipboard Alphabet (Heidi Swapp); Alphabet Stickers (Lily Bee); Buttons (Bella Blvd.) Glazed Brads (Basic Grey); Wood Veneer (Studio Calico)