Brenda's Scrappy Blog

Unique Crafters Challenge Blog - starting this week!

2012-02-22T05:17:00.000-05:00

Unique Crafters Challenges is a new challenge blog starting up this week. The first challenge will be posted on March 1st, but before that they are highlighting some projects submitted by followers and their new design team. Today, I was lucky enough to be featured with this layout of DGD eating her birthday cupcake:

This page is based on a sketch from Sassy Lil Sketches e-book, and papers are a mix of Echo Park, Jillibean Soup, and Lily Bee.

Just a Scrappin' Design Team

2012-02-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

Here's a page I made as my first Design Team project for Just a Scrappin'. This photo is of my DD and DGD at our community Christmas tree lighting. I used my Cricut and the Elegant Edges cartridge for the frame around my photo. "Merry" was cut with the Cindy Lou cartridge. The papers are from Echo Park.

Linda and Keia from Just a Scrappin' have a lot of fun things planned for the blog, so we hope you'll check it out and become a follower!

Whimsie Doodles Feb. challenge

2012-02-21T12:46:00.002-05:00

This month's challenge @ Whimsie Doodles was to create a project using one of their digi images and only scraps of paper and cardstock (other than your card base). I used some scraps of Crate Paper and Bella Blvd. for this card, featuring the Swing Koale image (I added a little smile to the digi image, just 'cause I thought he needed one for this happy card, LOL!) I fussy cut the cloud and freehand cut the other items. Koale was colored with Copics and then I added some hemp twine to the stamped image and tied one end to the tree branch. I also used some foam adhesive squares to the stamped image to give him a little added dimension.

Quilt inspired projects @ Practical Scrappers

2012-02-20T06:11:00.001-05:00

This week @ Practical Scrappers, we're looking to quilting and quilts for some card and scrapbook page inspiration. I decided to use the pinwheel pattern to make this card to welcome a new baby girl. I cut 1" squares from patterned paper and then cut them in half diagonally to make the triangles.

For the nine patch pattern on my scrapbook page, I cut 1" squares from various scraps of paper. Then for the border, I cut 1/4" x 1" rectangles, adhered them to the kraft background, and used my Sew Stamper to make the faux stitching lines.

We'd love for you to share your quilt inspired projects with us - hope to see you at Practical Scrappers!

Cardabilities Sketch #49

2012-02-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

Time for another card sketch from Cardablities!

Here's sketch #49:

And here's my card from the sketch. I went with a bright yellow and red color scheme for this birthday card. It's nice to work with bright colors during a drab grey February!

We hope you join us at Cardabilities - we'd love to see your creations!

The "little black mat"

2012-02-06T06:00:00.009-05:00

At Practical Scrappers, the focus today is on matting your photos with black. I almost always mat my photos on a page, at least one of them anyway. I think matting your photos is a great way to accent them and separate them a little bit from the background, which is especially important is you're using a busy patterned paper as the background or using a lot of embellishments.

I used a lot of bright papers on this page, so using black photo mats helped to emphasize the photos and tone down the page just a little bit. These mats are very narrow, only 1/16" wide, so they don't overpower the photos or the papers.

I repeated the black with some yellow and black letter stickers, and sticker tabs with black "stitching". The photo is of my DGD on one of her very early attempts at eating corn on the cob. That center photo just cracks me up - she is soooo concentrating on that corn cob!

Before I got hooked on scrapbooking, I spent my free time quilting. Several years ago I took a quilting seminar with a teacher who believed that every quilt should have a touch of black or purple because those colors had so much contrast they made a quilt sparkle. I think that philosophy works just the same on scrapbook pages and cards - try adding a little touch of black to your project and see what you think!

"Get Your Game On" blog hop @ Scrap-Friendzy!

2012-02-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Scrap-Friendzy is hosting a blog hop for Super Bowl weekend. You can see all the details here!

Using the items mentioned along the hop, I made this page with photos of DGD having so much fun kicking a big pink ball around the backyard. Simple childhood play - doesn't get any better than that!

It's banner time @ Practical Scrappers!

2012-01-31T05:26:00.000-05:00

Today at Practical Scrappers, we're focusing on banners that are made from shapes other than triangles. For the banner on my page, I punched some 1.5" circles, then cut them in half to make my banner flags.

This was based on a sketch from Sketchy Thursdays. The "13" was cut with my Cricut and the Cindy Lou cartridge - love the font on this cartridge!

Check out all the projects posted for the challenge - you'll get lots of ideas for banners! Next week, the challenge is to use black mats for your photos. Hope you'll send in your project for the challenge!

Cardabilities - Sketch #48

2012-01-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Time for another sketch @ Cardabilities! This week's sketch is great for using those border punches or decorative scissors.

Here's my take on the sketch. I used a Martha Stewart border punch, and my Cricut for the scalloped circles. This denim blue, yellow and red combination is one of my favorite color schemes.

I hope you'll join us at Cardabilities - we'd love to see your card creations!

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday challenge

2012-01-29T10:19:00.001-05:00

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge @ Frosted Designs was a recipe challenge. The "ingredients" are three patterned papers, two buttons, and a one-word title. I scrapped these photos of my nieces while they were using their new Nook and laptop that they got for Christmas. When these two are focused on reading, Nintendo games, or computer games, they are totally oblivious to everything else. Such powers of concentration!

PP: BoBunny and Scenic Route
Licorice twine from The Twinery

Frosted Designs Card Sketch & Cards for Kids project

2012-01-28T16:45:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of cards I made for the Cards for Kids project going on at Faith Abigail Designs. I used the latest card sketch from Frosted Designs for these two cards.

Elmo and Big Bird were cut with my Cricut and the Sesame Street Font cartridge. Hope these cards can help some child smile on Valentine's Day!

For that special person who's turning 50!

2012-01-26T13:39:00.001-05:00

Someone in my family is turning 50 this weekend! Not to name any names....but it's my SISTER! So of course I have to tease her a bit (and since I'm already over the 50 mark, there's no worry of retaliation). I thought this "old buzzard" gift bag would be a perfect way to present her birthday present, and it also fits with the Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week of using a label shape on your project.

The buzzard is from the "Life's a Party" cartridge, cut at 5.5". The branch was cut at 3.5" from Create a Critter, and the background shape is from "Elegant Edges", cut at 7.5". The little talk bubble is from George, cut at 3", with a computer generated sentiment. (and even though I might be a little mean about her turning 50, I did get her a nice birthday present, so I'm too awful a sister, LOL)

Cards for Kids Blog Hop

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about the Cards for Kid Blog Hop that's going on now? You can read all about it at Faith Abigail's blog here. Check out all the designer's projects along the blog hop, and then create your card (or cards), link them to Faith Abigail's blog and then mail them to her. On February 10th, all the cards collected will be donated to a children's hospital to be distributed to the kids there, and hopefully help cheer up their hospital stay a little bit. And of course there are some prizes to be had along the blog hop! Hope you get a chance to join in and spread some love this Valentine's Day!

CAS-ual Friday's black & white challenge

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge @ CAS-ual Fridays is to create a card using only black & white. This was tougher than I thought it would be, but after a couple of false starts, I ended up with this elegant wedding card. I used some embossed black velvet paper with tiny white flecks, and then added some lace, ribbon, and the stamped sentiment.

My Mind's Eye sketch challenge

2012-01-21T17:16:00.002-05:00

My Mind's Eye has a sketch challenge going on right now. You can check it out here.http://mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/blog-challenge-31-layout.html And to make it even nicer, Tammi @ My Scraps & More (my favorite online scrappy store) is offering a chance for a MME prize for anyone who enters the MME sketch challenge and also posts their page to the My Scrap & More blog and gallery.

I used papers and diecuts from the MME "Pretty Please" collection, with just a tiny fussy cut strip from the "Abbey Road" collection. The alphas were cut from one of the papers, using my Cricut and the Simply Sweet cartridge. Since the challenge has to do with a "new" theme, I used this photo of my DGD with her new hairdo. Her hair was just long enough to make these two tiny pigtails. I think she looks like Cindy Lou Who - so cute!

iCopic challenge #65

2012-01-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge @ iCopic is to use some "unloved" Copic colors. My Copic collection isn't very large, so I don't have too many colors that aren't used, so ended up using a green (G21) that I think is a little dull, so it's not one of my favorite colors (although it works well when blended with other greens for leaves and foliage).

The frog is a Penny Black stamp, colored and shaded with G21, and with some polka dots added, too. I colored the lily pad with E51 and then colored the heart with a red Spica glitter pen. The sentiment was computer generated, and then I added an embossed and punched scallop border, some pen stitching and twine bow to complete the card.

Practical Scrappers technique spotlight on clustering embellishments

2012-01-18T12:40:00.001-05:00

Today at Practical Scrappers, we are showcasing cards and layouts with embellishment clusters. Embellishments that are grouped together make a much bigger impact on a layout, especially if your embellishments are small or delicate, like buttons and lace. Here are a couple of pages I've done with this technique. (Both layouts are based on sketches from Scrap-Friendzy).

On this page, I grouped a couple of chipboard flowers, some Prima flowers and pearls. For added emphasis, I ticked some scalloped fabric trim and some Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon under the pattern paper close to the embellishment cluster.

The embellishments on the second page include a scallop tissue circle, two kinds of chipboard leaves, and a button and twine. The journaling/title tag extends down into the embellishment grouping, to help pull everything together.

I hope you check out the examples over at Practical Scrappers today. We'd love it if you'd share your creations with us, too!

Snow day

2012-01-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

This is a page I did for one of Scrap-Friendzy's sketch challenges this month, and also for the Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week. I used some pearl paint on the snowflakes, the doily, and also on the blue dimensional letter stickers. Pattern paper is from Pink Paislee.

Special occasion board

2012-01-15T16:07:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to find a way to keep track of birthdays, anniversarys and other special days. Too often lately, I've missed someone's special day, and that's not a good feeling! I saw the DT call for "Just A'Scrappin" and that inspired me to get out my Cricut and make this special occasion board.

The base is a piece of 12x12 cardstock (the backing from a paper pack) covered with kraft cardstock. The pockets are cut from Tags, Bags, Boxes & More (the crayon box) cut at 3.875" high x 4.875" wide, and the tags are from the same cartridge, cut at 2" wide x 3.25" long. I used Design Studio to cut two pockets and two tags at a time. The pockets were cut from various double sided pattern paper, using themes or colors to fit the month. The tags were all cut from white cardstock, then stamped with a journaling stamp in brown, inked around the edges with a color to coordinate with the pocket, and then tied with a ribbon. The pocket labels were printed using Microsoft Word, with white text and adjusting the fill color of the text box to coordinate with the patterned paper pocket. Now all I have to do is write names and birthdays/anniversarys/etc. on each month's tag and I have all my reminders together. This will hang in my craft room, so it's handy to my card stash and cardmaking supplies.

This idea could be adapated to use regular envelopes, cut down slightly and covered with patterned paper, or you could use coin envelopes, or library pockets, or templates to make your own envelopes. Now I just need to get out my calendar and transfer all the special dates to these tags....don't want to miss anyone's birthday this year!

Cardabilities Sketch #47 (and my first DT post!)

2012-01-15T08:27:00.001-05:00

It's time for a new card sketch at Cardabilities. This is a special one for me, because it's my first sketch as a new DT member!

And here's my take on the sketch. I'm going to a baby shower later this month, and I thought this sketch worked perfectly for a baby boy card.

The scalloped circles were cut with my Cricut and the Elegant Edges cartridge. The baby buggy is a digital stamp from PC Hug Club, colored with Copic markers (which also fits the new challenge @ iCopic). I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the "eyelet" trim, and then added some ribbon, twine, and a little pearl.

I hope you join us @ Cardabilities and link up your cards. We'd love to see your work and you could become one of our featured designers!

Frosted Designs Card Sketch challenge

2012-01-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

If you like scrapbooking and card challenges, check out the Frosted Designs blog for some great inspiration. I made this card for their Card Sketch challenge #9. I'm going to send it to my granddaughter this week - she loves to get mail! The circle frame was cut with my Cricut and the George cartridge (4.5") and then Mickey was cut at 4" from the Mickey & Friends cartridge.

Layout Contest time @ Practical Scrappers!!!

2012-01-07T18:22:00.000-05:00

Love to scrapbook? Want a chance to win some fabulous prizes? Then check out the new layout contest that's just beginning at Practical Scrappers!

Time for the Layout Contest!

Last fall we hosted a massively successful card contest and now it is time to do the same but with a layout contest! To get entered you don't even have to create something new! All the details on that are below but first let's talk about prizes. We have over $100 worth of prizes lined up - look at this lineup of sponsors!

We will have all the details of the prizes finalized next week when we kick off the first round...but for now you know that you are getting a shot at some amazing Scrapping Prizes!

Here's the details:

1) Each week we will narrow down the field thru audience voting, voting from the Practical Scrappers design team, or voting from the Administrative team.

2) The contest will have 6 rounds: Those we have chosen for Round 1 will be announced on Saturday, January 14th and each continuing round will be announced on the following Saturday.

3) International entries are welcome, but we reserve the right to modify the prizes according to our sponsors needs should an international participant win.

4) To enter the contest mail us a picture of your favorite layout that you have created in the last two months to practicalscrapperslayouts@gmail.com - you must also include your name, blog address (if applicable), and state or country of residence. We must receive an email with all three of these by midnight CST on Friday, January 13th!

2012-01-03T05:32:00.001-05:00

Today @ Practical Scrappers, we're featuring some DT projects that showcase some of the top scrapbooking trends from 2011. It's always fund to see what new trends develop during a year, and see whether they stand the test of time and become classic techniques, or whether they disappear and are replaced by something new.

On my page, I used three of the hot items from last year - banners, bakers' twine, and rosettes. I've used premade rosettes before, but this was the first time I made my own. The trickiest part for me was holding the pleated circle together while adhering it to the base circle; I could've used a third hand, LOL!

Be sure to check out the Practical Scrappers blog to see what trends the other DT members chose for their projects. What was your favorite trend from 2011? I think mine was bakers' twine - I love this stuff!

First layout of 2012!

2012-01-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

After a six week "no scrapping" period due to the holidays and being sick, I finally got a page finished today - yay! This was inspired by the My Scraps & More blog hop challenge and by Sketchabilities Sketch #62. This is my granddaughter riding the ponies at the local pumpkin festival this Fall. She LOVES riding ponies so everytime we go to a fair or festival with a pony ride, that's where we end up.

Some January events to get you scrapping!

2012-01-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

A couple of my favorite scrappy sites are offering some fun January events to get you inspired and scrapping in 2012.

Scrap-Friendzy is having a January Sketch-a-Thon, with layout and card sketches to inspire you. A new sketch will be posted every day. The last SF Sketch-a-Thon was wonderful, and I know this one will be a lot of fun!

My Scraps & More is focusing on resolutions this January. They are starting things off with a blog hop this weekend (you have until Jan 8th to link up your page), and will offer challenges during the month, and an on-line crop.

Both these sites have the friendliest message boards ever and tons of inspiration and ideas to share. Hope you will join us this month!

Market Street Stamps card challenge

2011-12-30T07:56:00.000-05:00

Market Street Stamps teamed up with CAS-ual Fridays for a double challenge this week, using kraft and twine and a Market Street stamp. Unfortunately, I don't own any Market Street stamps, but they kindly provided a free digi stamp so everyone could join in the challenge. (You can join their Ning group and get the free digi stamp here).

For my card, I printed the digi stamp on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then I cut a tiny slit around the inside rim so I could tuck the tiny "marshmallows" in the cup. I used denim twine from The Twinery and laced it through the holes around the edge of the Cricut diecut. The sentiment was printed on the computer and then inked around the edges.

CAS-usal Friday's 12/23 challenge

2011-12-28T17:09:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays was to create a card using kraft and twine. With the holidays and being sick, I haven't done any crafting for a few weeks so my crafty mojo is pretty rusty, but after a few false starts I came up with this country "thank you" card. The flowers are from the Walk In My Garden Cricut cartridge. The bakers twine is "buttercream" from The Twinery.

Cardabilities DT !

2011-12-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to be selected for the new Cardabilities design team - I'm so excited to have the chance to work with Karan's fabulous sketches! You can check out the Cardabilities sketch blog here.

Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 3

2011-12-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

Every year I ooh and ahh over Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, but this year I finally decided to join in the fun and make a few tags. I started with his tag from Day 3, so I'm a little out of order, but oh well.

I didn't have the exact supplies used on Tim Holtz's tag, so I used another of his Christmas stamp sets, turning one vertically and one horizontally across the bottom. The images were stamped in black on a kraft tag, then I sponged some Distress Inks in various spots to add a little color. The holly leaves and pine branches were cut with my Cricut (Joys of the Season and Winter Woodlands) and then I added some mica flakes for a little vintage sparkle.

A quick and easy holiday photo wall hanging!

2011-12-04T05:05:00.008-05:00

As part of our holiday celebration at Practical Scrappers, I want to share a quick, easy and inexpensive project.

This Christmas photo wall hanging is very easy to make. I used Christmas photos from last year, but you could certainly use current photos, or it would be fun to use photos covering several years, to see how your kids or family have changed.

Start by cutting three pieces of chipboard to 5x7. You could use cereal boxes, the back of notepads, or even substitute two pieces of heavyweight cardstock adhered together. Cut some coordinating holiday papers to 5x7 and adhere to the front of each cardstock piece. (You can cover the back also if you like.) I also cut a piece of chipboard 1.75" x 7", covered it with patterned paper, and rounded the corners. This was my top border piece. You could do this at the top and bottom, or you could completely leave this part off.

Lay your paper covered chipboard pieces in the order you want them to appear on your project. On your first panel, Measure about 1/2" in from the edges and 1/4" from the top and make a light pencil mark. Punch a hole at each mark. You can thread ribbon, cording or twine through these two holes to making a hanger for your photo panels. On my example, I used light green baker's twine.

At the bottom of your first panel, measure 1/4" up from the bottom and 1/2" in from the left and make a pencil mark. Measure 1/2" over from that mark and make a second mark. Punch a hole at each mark. Do the same thing on the right side of your top panel. Mark holes in the same way at the top and bottom of your second panel and at the top only of the third panel. Use ribbon, cording or twine to sew an "x" through the holes at the bottom of panel one/top of panel two and bottom of panel two/top of panel three. Just tie your twine or ribbon in a small knot at the back and tape it down to the ends don't work there way through the holes.

Now that your panels are all attached, you can add photos and embellishments as desired. (I like to punch the holes and attach the panels together first, so I can make sure my embellishments and photos don't end up with holes punched through them.)

For my Christmas wall hanging, I used papers and diecuts/journaling boxes from Bella Blvd., and added pen stitching, baker's twine, gems and pearls, and a border punched strip to the bottom edge. The beard on the Santa diecut was made by adhering ivory Flower Soft and I added a tiny white pompom to the tip of his hat.

I hope you enjoyed this project and are inspired to make one of your own!

iCopic challenge - vintage distressing

2011-12-02T18:45:00.001-05:00

This week's challenge @ iCopic was to create a card with a vintage, distressed style. Normally I use my Copic markers to bring some color to my stamped images, so it was a little different to try for a muted color scheme on this card.

I stamped the nativity scene with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, and then sponged around the edges with Antique Linen distress ink. The image was colored with Copic E00 & E51 for skin tones, Y00 for the halos, B91 and B95 for the blues and E33 for Joseph's robe. The straw was colored with E43 and then I added a few strokes of Y15. I also used E43 to color the tiny white pearls to get a more champagne color. It's hard to see in the picture, but the red cardstock was stamped with a crackle background stamp, and then inked around the edges with Aged Mahogany and Gathered Twigs distress inks. I also used Gathered Twigs distress ink around the edges of the kraft card base.

Advent calendar

2011-11-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

I made this advent calendar for my DGD this Christmas. The advent calendar has 24 little drawers that hold a small surprise (advent calendar from Karen Foster). I used Bella Blvd's "Christmas Wishes" line to cover the front frame and the drawer fronts. There is a template included for the drawer fronts, but it's basically a 2"x2" square, with half of a 1" circle punched in the center. The only drawback is that you need some pretty small items to fit in these little drawers, LOL!

Lily Pad card sketch challenge

2011-11-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the November sketch challenge @ Lily Pad . The diagonal design line in the sketch had me stumped for awhile, but it worked out well with using the Tim Holtz snowman embossing folder because of its large snowman design on one portion. I added a ribbon and bow and some stamped and embossed snowflake in the opposite corner to balance out the card. It's hard to see in the photo, but I added some clear glitter to the raised portion of the embossed snowman, by brushing some Martha Stewart glitter glue over the raised image with a small paintbrush. The subtle sparkle is really pretty in real life!

Cardabilities Challenge # 43

2011-11-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

For this week's sketch challenge @ Cardabilities, I used some old Stampin' Up stamps, some Echo Park paper and the new Winter edition Distress Inks. Just love the red and green colors in this set - so great for Christmas projects!

CAS-ual Friday's Sketch Challenge

2011-11-23T15:45:00.001-05:00

This week's challenge @ CAS-ual Fridays is a sketch challenge - one of my favorite types of challenges!

Here's my card based on the sketch. The patterned paper is from Pink Paislee's "Snow Day" line, and the sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts. I cut the snowflake with my Cricut and then embossed it with a swirly Cuttlebug folder and added a Prima gem center.

Making a framed Christmas or holiday collage

2011-11-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

Today is my turn to post a holiday project for Practical Scrappers. This is such a simple project but it's one of my favorite holiday decorations and a great way to use up leftover holiday papers and embellishments.

First, choose the size you want to create. I used a clear acrylic frame that is 11 x15 but you could use any frame size. Cut your pp scraps into various sizes of rectangels and squares and lay them down on your base until you have a pattern that you like. Now you can start adding embellishments. I added a Christmas bingo card, some rubons, stickers, a tag, and a few felt flower and buttons. Just keep in mind that any dimensional embellishments have to be thin enough to fit inside the frame. As an alternative, you can add some dimensional elements to the outside of the frame, like I did with the bow, large felt flower and jingle bells at the top corner. My collage is large enough to hang on the wall, but it would also be fun to create some smaller collages and make a grouping for the mantel or tabletop.

Ho ho ho!

2011-11-18T21:21:00.000-05:00

I made this card for one of the challenges this week at For the Luv of Art. I punched 1.25" circles from lightweight chipboard, ran them through my Xyron little X machine, and then adhered red and white bakers twine in a spiral to make the little "peppermint" o's. The "H"s were cut using the Storybook Cricut cartridge and the borders is from the Fiskars Threading Water punch.

a Thanksgiving shirt inspired by Pinterest

2011-11-17T06:54:00.001-05:00

Over at For the Luv of Art, we're having a Pinterest crop, with challenges inspired by cool things spotted on Pinterest. One of the inspiration items was this turkey tshirt originally from Love from Texas.

I loved the ribbon tailfeathers and wanted to make a shirt for my granddaughter to wear for Thanksgiving. Since I'm not too good at freehand cutting, I used my Cricut and the "Create a Critter" cartridge to cut the turkey body and then used ribbon loops for the tailfeathers. A little ultra strong Heat 'n Bond, some stitched feet and some google eyes made a cute little turkey shirt.

This also fits challenge #41 this week over at Die Cuttin Divas.

Hopefully I'll have a picture of our granddaughter in her turkey shirt to post a little later!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....at Practical Scrappers

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we started our holiday postings at Practical Scrappers. Every day one of the DT members will be posting a holiday project. Audrey started things off on Monday with her paper punched pinecone ornaments - so cute! I'm looking forward to all the projects coming our way over the next month. :)

Today, the design team members are sharing projects made from their holiday stash - items left over from last year's projects (or maybe even the year before last!). I got the idea for this framed piece from a card featured in Papercrafts Magazine last year. I changed it around a little to make a framed accent instead of a card.

I used my Cricut to cut the Christmas tree from green cardstock, and then used the negative piece (the outside portion) as the frame for my tree shape. I laid the green tree frame over white cardstock and lightly traced the outline of the tree shape. Starting with the larger embellishments, I just started filling in the outlined shape, using stickers, rubons, buttons, and gems. The green cardstock piece was embossed with my Cuttlebug and a Sizzix embossing folder, then adhered it over the embellished tree. I wrapped the bakers twine around the outside of the frame and added a gingham bow.

Be sure to check out the DT projects today. I'm sure you'll find some inspiration for using up those holiday papers and embellishments!

more cards from Holiday Card Boot Camp

2011-11-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

A couple more cards inspired by the Holiday Card Boot Camp class. I love the added touch of inking and embossing.

Jingle Belles challenge

2011-11-12T22:30:00.001-05:00

This week's challenge at Jingle Belles is to create a Christmas card using at least one sticker. I used a sentiment sticker from Paper Studio on this card. The diecut shape was cut using my Cricut and the Elegant Edges cartridges. I stamped the snowmen, added a little color with Copic markers and bakers twine, and then some bling with gems and Frosted Lace Stickles.

Holiday Card Boot Camp - Day one

2011-11-09T19:23:00.001-05:00

I'm taking Jennifer McGuire's Holiday Card Boot Camp, an online class with ideas and techniques for holiday cards. Monday was the first day of the class and there was lots of inspiration (especially loved the ideas from touring Target!) and card ideas. Here are three of the cards I made, inspired by the first day of class.

I used my Cuttlebug and a Sizzix embossing folder for the background on the snowflake card. The snowflake was cut with my Cricut and the Accent Essentials cartridge. To add a little sparkle, I stitched the blue cardstock panels with silver thread and added some crystal glitter over the snowflake. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and was stamped in silver.

The background was stamped on kraft with Versamark ink, then I added a pp panel to the center and punched the border trim from gold metallic cardstock. The ornament was cut with my Cricut using the Joys of the Season cartridge.

The background on the last ornament was embossed with a Sizzix folder. The branch was cut with my Cricut and the Winter Woodlands cartridge, and the star was cut from the George cartridge. I added a little bit of glitter to the branch and some Rock Candy Stickles to the star.

free digi stamp from Paper Smooches

2011-11-06T15:30:00.002-05:00

I just discovered Paper Smooches. They have a blog, a challenge blog, and an online store. And in their online store, they offer a new free digi stamp every month. I used one of this month's free stamps to make these two Christmas cards, which will be going to the Cards that Care card drive (you can read about it here).

I printed the image out, colored it with Copics and added rubon sentiments and a border punched pp strip.

another CAS-ual Friday's challenge

2011-11-05T07:38:00.001-04:00

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a card with an element that goes over the edge. I always love cards that I see designed like this, but have to admit it's not something I've tried too often myself, so I took the challenge and came up with this card.

The background was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder, then brushed with white ink. The "Merry Christmas" sentiment was stamped, colored, then adhered to a border punch white strip that extends over the edge of the card. The Christmas tree was stamped, cut out and adhered so it hangs over the edge a bit, too.

There's a wonderful card drive going on right now that's called "Cards That Care". It's hosted by Jennifer McGuire and Vera Yates, and the goal is to collect Christmas cards that will be distributed to the elderly residents of nursing homes. You can read all the details here. This is such a wonderful idea! My plan is make two of each Christmas card I make this month, so I'll get my Christmas cards done plus have a group of cards to donate.

Warm Winter Wishes holiday card

2011-11-04T06:42:00.000-04:00

I made this card for the Frosted Designs card sketch challenge here. The background was embossed with the Cuttlebug snowflakes folder, with one of the Easy Frames from Zoar Stamps. The Easy Frames let you emboss your card front, leaving one area unembossed so you have a spot for stamping. Very cool! I bought mine from Stamp Your Art Out in Cincinnati but you can also get them at http://www.zoarstamps.com/.

The oval frame was cut with the Cricut Lacy Labels cartridge, and covered with rock candy Stickles for a little shine. I stamped the snowflakes in the center oval with light blue ink, then stamped the sentiment over the top in black ink, and added a little glitter pen and a few crystals.

It's a hoot of a card!

2011-10-31T06:09:00.000-04:00

Today's challenge @ Practical Scrappers was to use stitching on a card. I combined this with a challenge at Hero Arts to use non-Christmas stamps on a Christmas card. I used the owl and branch stamp from Hero Arts, and added a freehand cut Santa hat, and some stamped ornaments. Machine stitching and an embossed frame add a little texture.

CAS-ual Friday's sketch challenge

2011-10-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

This week, CAS-ual Friday is hosting a card sketch challenge. Here's my Christmas card based on the sketch. I used the Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge to make the card shape. Since everything else on the card was kept pretty simple, I thought the card shape needed to be a little different.

Lily Pad sketch challenge

2011-10-26T19:18:00.000-04:00

I needed a card to welcome a new baby boy into the world, and was inspired by the card sketch at Lily Pad this month. I flipped the sketch and used a circle design element instead of a square, but I think it worked out well. I love this teddy bear and moon stamp; it's been in my stash forever but I love to use it for baby cards.

We love our pets @ Practical Scrappers!

2011-10-25T16:51:00.000-04:00

Today @ Practical Scrappers we are featuring projects with pets. Check out the adorable projects posted today - there are some awfully cute pages being featured!

My project today was a card, using a Whimsie Doodles digital stamp. I love their stamps; they are just so cute! This one was colored with Copics with a little red glitter thrown in for good measure.

Cricut 360 challenge

2011-10-20T18:21:00.001-04:00

Cricut 360 is having a Spooky Halloween blog hop, with a challenge. If you visit all the DT blogs, you'll get the clues you need to create your challenge project.

For my project, I altered a paper mache book to create a "Potions and Spells" book. The letters on the book were cut from Storybook in green and orange, with the shadow cut in purple. The spider is from Lyrical Letters (who knew there was a creepy spider on that cute cartridge!) I added lots of glitter to all the cuts, and also used some black magic mist and purple stickles on the spell book. I think I might officially be out of room for any more Halloween decorations now, LOL!

A Practical Scrappers challenge to use those stamps!

2011-10-18T12:51:00.001-04:00

This week's challenge at Practical Scrappers was to use at least five stamps on a project. For someone like me, who tends to collect stamps and not use them, this was a real challenge.

I started with this Thanksgiving card, where I used three stamps from an old Stampin' Up set, two word stamps and one graph background stamp. The kraft background was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder, and then the graph background was stamped diagonally across the center. The leaves and acorn were stamped, colored with Copics and then punched with a 1.25" circle punch and matted.

For the scrapbook page, I started with some papers from We R Memory Keepers and some old photos from 1985 - our first and last year of tent camping (thank goodness! We bought a small camper the next year. :) This patterned paper already had a lot going on, so I kept the stamping pretty low-key. I used alphabet stamps to spell out "Versailles, IN" and a canvas background stamp and leaf background stamp on the paper strips under the photos. The "posted" note is a stamp, as is the zigzag stitch at the bottom, the circle stamp around the numbers on the left side, and the buttonholes and straight stitch under the photos.

I hope you get a chance to dust off those rubber stamps and use them on a project sometime this week!

More Halloween projects @ Practical Scrappers!

2011-10-13T17:37:00.001-04:00

Today, we are featuring altered projects for Halloween @ Practical Scrappers. There are some wonderful mini albums, treat bags and holiday decorations - you're sure to find some spooky inspiration! You can check out the projects here.

For my project, I used one of the 7Gypsies printers trays I've been hoarding, along with some Bella Blvd. "Too Cute to Spook" papers and die cuts. I cut some of the die cut images apart so they would flow over more than one opening on the tray, and then added some crochet thread, glitter, twine and ribbon embellishments. The "happy halloween" sentiment was die cut with my Cricut and then glittered over the top.

Check out the Halloween cards at Practical Scrappers!

2011-10-10T19:35:00.001-04:00

Practical Scrappers is featuring Halloween cards today. You really need to see these - there are some fabulous cards posted on the blog - from ghosts and google eyes to pumpkins and witches!

Here's my card for ths challenge. I used some Halloween rubons, some black magic mist and tulle on this one.

A Halloween tree

2011-10-08T09:13:00.000-04:00

I was in Michael's a few weeks ago and found this fold up Halloween tree for $2. I thought it would be fun to turn this into a Halloween tree for my table. I stamped different Halloween images, punched them out with a 2" circle punch, and then used my Cricut and the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge to cut some circle tags at 2.5" from black cardstock. All the images were colored with Copic markers and Spica glitter pens, and then inked with the new Fall Distress Inks. I added a few smears of copper and purple Stickles on the tree for a little bit of sparkle. I think it turned out cute, and it was very inexpensive! I think decorating for Halloween is so much fun!

A month of sketches AND a 40% off sale @ My Scraps and More

2011-10-05T17:20:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for some scrappy inspiration, friendly people and a great sale, check out MyScrapsandMore.com. Tammi is having a month long sketch crop and she's also offering a 40% off sale through October 9th. This sale includes all the new releases that have just arrived in the store; it's a great way to stock up on those holiday papers at a great price! I've ordered several times from Tammi and always gotten great service and quick shipping. And I highly recommend joining the forum....everyone is so nice and there are tons of challenges going on with lots of inspiration. Hope to see you there!

It's a Sassy Lil Sketches send off!

2011-10-05T17:14:00.000-04:00

It's sad news for sure, but Sassy Lil Sketches is closing their sketch site. It's been a real joy to be on the card DT here and work with Cherie and Katie and all the other designers and I'll definitely miss everyone on the site.

But.....the good news is that we're closing down with a bang...a real Sassy Send Off! We'll be releasing one sketch per day through October 9th. You have until October 23rd to link your projects using the sketches for a chance to win the new Sassy Lil Sketches eBook! That's eight chances to win, so we hope to see your projects!

Here's the sketch and my card for the Day 2 challenge:

iCopic challenge #49

2011-09-28T17:22:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge at iCopic was to color an image with red hair. I don't have a lot of reds in my small Copic collection, but I gave this one a try, anyway.

I used Copic R35 Coral, YR02 Light Orange, and E37 Sepia for the lil' witch's red hair. I added a little bit of sparkle with Spica glitter pens on the stars, broom, and witch outfit. The patterned papers are from Bella Blvd's "Too Cute to Spook" line.

Check out the altered projects @ Practical Scrappers!

2011-09-22T06:29:00.000-04:00

Wow, there are some amazing projects posted on the Practical Scrapper site today - all for the challenge to share an altered item. There are altered albums, notebooks, frames, treasure boxes, and even an altered shoe and a globe - way cool!

Here's my altered item. I started with a grapevine wreath, spritzed it with some gold Glimmer Mist for a little bit of shimmer, and then adhered leaves that I die cut from patterned paper. (Bella Blvd papers and Cricut Doodlecharms cartridge for the leaves) I had some old chipboard alphas that I covered with patterned paper to spell "Fall" and added a little "happy" tag to the first letter. I really love the Bella Blvd "Finally Fall" line - such wonderful colors and patterns!

PS - while you're at the Practical Scrappers site, be sure to check out their new card contest - sounds like fun!

Time for another Sassy Lil Card Sketch!

2011-09-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! Hard to believe that September is almost over! Here's the third card sketch this month from Sassy Lil Sketches:

Here's my card from the sketch:

If you use any of the card sketches this month, be sure to link your project back to the Sassy Lil Sketches blog for a chance to win an awesome prize from Authentique Papers!

Whimsie Doodles Inspiration Challenge

2011-09-18T16:01:00.001-04:00

This month's inspiration challenge at Whimsie Doodles was to create a card inspired by this photo:

http://shimandsons.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834529fce69e20133f55dad74970b-pi

I took my inspiration from the color scheme - mostly white with just a touch of black, orange and green (and I added a smidgeon of purple).

I used the Whimsie Doodles Halloween Tags digi images to make these cards. I inked around the edges and colored the pumpkins with Copic markers, then added a grommet and some ribbons and twine. I printed the tag a second time, only this time with the answer to the riddles and then adhered the two tags on the left side to make a card.

And, just in case you're wondering, here are the answers to the riddles:

1) What did the pumpkin need for its boo boo?

A pumpkin patch!

2) What do ghosts wear?

Boo jeans!

Would you like to win some Authentique goodies?

2011-09-15T17:31:00.000-04:00

Practical Scrappers is joining up with Authentique to offer you a chance to win some scrapping goodies! Check out this post here for your chance to win!

Just by looking at the amazing items posted on Practical Scrappers, I can tell that I'll need to add some Authentique papers to my stash - they have some gorgeous lines!

Unity Stamp's Sept sketch challenge

2011-09-13T19:11:00.000-04:00

This is my first time joining in on the monthly sketch/KOTM challenge @ Unity Stamps. Each month Unity posts a card sketch, and the challenge is to use that sketch AND only stamps from one of their kits of the month. You can check out this month's challenge here: http://theunitystampco-kotmsketch.blogspot.com/
For my card, I used their Sept 2009 kit of the month (pumpkin stamp and sentiment stamp). I stamped the pumpkin several times on different pp scraps, then pieced them together. I did some faux stitching and added some buttons with bakers twine ties and lots of inking with Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint and Wild Honey Distress Inks.

CAS-ual Friday's paper piecing challenge

2011-09-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a Fall themed card with some type of paper piecing. I used a pumpkin stamp (Unity Stamp Co) to create my paper pieced item. I stamped the pumpkin on four different pp scraps, then cut the images apart and pieced them together to make one multi-hued pumpkin. The two crows are from an older Stampin' Up set. They were colored w/Copic markers and then cut out and adhered to the pumpkin. The bottom green strip is made from a Martha Stewart border punch. I love making Fall cards. It's my favorite season......football, Fall festivals, Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Update your stash with Practical Scrappers!

2011-09-08T07:06:00.000-04:00

Practical Scrappers is starting a new feature on updating your stash. This week we're focusing on finding new ways to use your old flat flowers. I have a lot of the old Prima paper flowers in my stash, so I was inspired to find new ways to use them. On my scrapbook page, I took several of the tiny flowers and stitched them to the top of a border punched strip, for a cute casual page accent.

For the "roses" on the two cards, I started with three flat Prima flowers. Mine were all the same size, just different shades, but you could also use flowers in staggered sizes. I took the lightest color flower, put a mini glue dot in the center, then just smushed it around the end of a paintbrush to get the tight flower center. I added a mini glue dot to the middle of the second flower, placed the first one on top, and then squeezed the two together. I did the same thing with the third flower, and then unfolded them just a little to get the roses. On some of them I added a little pearl center.
We'd love to see your ideas for updating your flower stash!

The first Sassy Lil Card sketch for September

2011-09-08T06:22:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe it's September already - where did the summer go? But, a new month means new sketches to work with, so let's start off the month with a Sassy Lil card sketch!

And here's my card from the sketch:

I used some BoBunny Ad Lib papers on this one. Even the flower and sentiment are cut from the pp - I just popped up the flower with foam adhesive and added a little gem center.
We have a fabulous sponsor this month - Authentique Paper! If you use any of the Sassy Lil card sketches this month, be sure to link your project back to the blog for your chance to win a prize from this awesome new company!

Cardabilities sketch for August 30th

2011-09-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by the current Cardabilities sketch to use my Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge for the shaped image. I cut the image at 3.5", and then sized my digital stamp to fit. I printed the digital image out, then positioned the die cut shape over top, adhered it at the top edge only and ran it back through the printer. This is a great way to get your journaling, sentiments or digital stamps positioned to fit a die cut shape.

The paper is from Bella Blvd., digital stamp from PC Hug Club (colored with watercolor pencils) and baker's twine from The Twinery.

Reversible Fall/Halloween banner

2011-09-02T17:53:00.001-04:00

I just received the new Bella Blvd "Finally Fall" and "Too Cute to Spook" papers that I ordered from Tammi at My Scraps & More. Love these papers! They are just perfect for altered projects, so I decided to use them to make a reversible banner for Fall and Halloween.

To start, I took one sheet each of Fall patterned paper and one sheet of Halloween themed paper, then cut each sheet into four 6x6 squares. I placed the squares together, right sides out, and adhered each pair at the middle and the bottom. (You don't want to put adhesive at the top because you'll be stitching there.) I punched a border from contrasting cardstock - four from green and four from orange, and then adhered the borders to the bottom of each square, matching up the edges. The green border is on the Fall side and the orange border on the Halloween side. I threaded my sewing machine with brown thread through the needle and white thread in the bottom, and then stitched each pair together about 1/4" from the edge and again abot 3/8" from the first row of stitching. I used a large eye needle threaded with two strands of baker's twine to string the banner together. I ended up using a wooden skewer to help push the needle through the stitched channel - next time I'll make my stitched channel a little wider :)

I used my Cricut and the Cindy Lou cartridge to cut the alphas at 4-1/2", but you could also use chipboard letters or large alpha stickers. I cut the alphas twice from scrap cardstock and once from patterned paper, then stacked them together with the paper on top. This gives a little dimension to the letters without adding much weight. I adhered one letter to each banner, and then added a few silk and felt leaves to the Fall side, and some paper and stamped embellishments to the Halloween side.

In between each banner, I used glue dots to adhere pairs of buttons to the twine, using muted warm colors on the Fall side of the banner and brighter colors on the Halloween side.

Here are some closeups of a couple of the letters:

I hope you enjoyed this, and are inspired to make your own reversible banner!

It's die cut day @ Practical Scrappers

2011-08-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

Today, Practical Scrappers is featuring layouts using die cuts. I love using diecuts on my pages (and cards) because I really enjoy using my Cricut Expression to make my own alphabets and embellishments.

For this page, I used the Sesame Street Font cartridge to make the Elmo and the # 1. These photos are from my son's first birthday party, which was only, oh....about 29 years ago! I made the Elmo diecut a little larger than normal because it was going towards the bottom of the page and needed to be large enough to balance the photos at the top of the page.

The new call list has been posted on Practical Scrappers blog, so check it out here and submit your projects to be featured on the blog!

I love sewing

2011-08-21T19:36:00.001-04:00

One of the challenges from the on-line crop @ Shimelle.com was to create a page with "I love" in the title. I decided to do a page about my love of sewing; it helped that I had some of the new Jillibean Soup "Homemade 6 Bean Soup" line that I really wanted to use. :) The layout design came from sketch #18 on the Sketch Support site.

I can remember my mom letting me usse her fabric scraps to make Barbie doll clothes. Mom taught me to sew when I was in elementary school, and I'm still sewing today. The things I've sewed have changed - from Barbie doll clothes to clothes for myself, then on to clothes for my kids, quilting and now clothes for my granddaughter. Nowadays, I do more scrapping than sewing, but sewing is still my first love.

Bingo card challenge

2011-08-21T16:19:00.000-04:00

I made this layout for a challenge based on this one from Shimelle.com. The bingo card I had in my stash actually said "BINGO" at the top, so I cut a piece of cardstock from a similar color, covered the top of the bingo card and then used red alphabet stickers to spell "PLAY" and a chipboard button at the center. This is my son at age five playing with his favorite Playmobil sets....he could keep busy for hours playing with these toys and his imagination!

Sketch challenge @ Shimelle.com

2011-08-21T09:33:00.000-04:00

I made this layout for last Friday's sketch challenge @ Shimelle.com. The photos are of my DD and DGD on the 4th of July. My daughter is always trying to get a good picture of the two of them together, but two-year-olds don't always cooperate with a grandma and her camera, LOL!

Chop that Paper challenge

2011-08-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

One of the challenges at Shimelle.com http://www.shimelle.com/ was to create a page using only patterned paper as your embellishments. You know those gorgeous papers we hoard.....well we had to chop some up for this challenge. I had some Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends paper from last month's kit at Back Porch Memories, so I cut various pieces from some of those sheets for this page. The photo is of my mom and her dog, sometime around 1953-1954. I love finding old photos, scanning and repairing them in Photoshop. Don't you just love the saddle shoes and bicycle in these photos?

Time for the second Sassy Lil card sketch for August!

2011-08-18T06:37:00.000-04:00

The scallop circle and bow on this week's card sketch immediately made me think of a wreath. I decided to do a fall wreath, since I love sending out "welcome Fall" cards. (It's my favorite season!)

I used my Cricut and the Christmas wreath from the Joys of the Season cartridge for this card. Instead of using Christmas colors, though, I cut the wreath base in dark brown, and then cut it three more times in various Fall colors of cardstock. I just snipped some of the leaves apart and arranged them around the base to get a variation of colors.

We'd love to see your card based on this sketch. Just link it up to the Sassy Lil Sketches blog for a chance to win a prize from our wonderful sponsor this month - My Favorite Things!

My Scraps & More weekly blog challenge

2011-08-16T16:48:00.000-04:00

My Scraps & More has started a weekly sketch challenge every Thursday on their blog. I loved the sketch this week, and decided to use some new Jillibean Soup papers with it to scrap these photos of DGD on the merry-go-round at the county fair.

Tammi is also having a DT call right now, so be sure to check out the My Scraps and More blog and forum for all the details!

It's a "retro" challenge @ shimelle.com

2011-08-15T18:36:00.001-04:00

One of the challenges @ shimelle.com was to "go retro" by scrapping any photos taken prior to this year. I went way back to 1963 for these photos of my sister and me in our little backyard pool. I was about 7 and my sister was 1-1/2. I have no idea what's up with the bathing cap I'm wearing - guess I'll have to ask my mom about that stylish accent, LOL! I used some Jillibean Soup and Luxe papers on this one and a sketch from the new Sassy Lil Sketches ebook.

Yay! The Sassy Lil E-book is here!

2011-08-15T17:24:00.001-04:00

At Sassy Lil' Sketches, we are happy to announce the first Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook has been released!
The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook features about 70 brand new sketches designed by Cherie Averill!
You'll find sketches for layouts with one, two, three & multiple photos! You'll even find double page sketches! Plus, sample layouts from talented designers that will spark your creativity!

Most of the sketches use standard photo sizes (4x6, 5x7, 8x10). To get extra mileage out of the sketches, switch it up! Use the sketches to create cards, double pagers, etc.! If you need ideas for "switching it up", check out the cards in the Sample Layouts section or stop by the Sassy Lil' Sketch blog on Saturdays.
The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook is available for online viewing or you can easily download and print it. It's your choice.

Visit http://www.sassylilsketches.com/ to get the Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook & get scrapping!

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a designer for one of the sketches in the book. Here's my page based on one of the sketches in the book. I used several different Lily Bee papers on this one.

A sticker-y challenge

2011-08-14T16:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I've gotten six layouts done so far this weekend - gotta love an on-line crop (and having some weekend scrappy time)!

This challenge at Shimelle.com was to use stickers from either two different manufacturers or from two different lines of one manufacturer. On this page, I used a journaling block sticker, black alpha stickers and a sentiment sticker (happines is with you) from Echo Park; tiny circle alphabet stickers from Jenni Bowlin, and a circle sticker from Cosmo Cricket (it had a smiley tomato in the center, but I covered that with a circle of pp and a button). It's a clean and simple page, for sure, but it shows off one of my favorite photos of my daughter and her family. :)

Half page challenge

2011-08-14T15:54:00.000-04:00

This is for the half-page challenge @ shimelle.com. It can be a challenge to leave so much empty space on a page, but it really does help to draw attention to the photo, and works especially well when you only have one photo for your page. I love the look of pages with lots of white space (or in this case, kraft space, LOL!).

Aqua, red & white challenge

2011-08-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

The color story challenge at Shimelle.com was to use aqua, red, and white on a project. Well, I'm embarrassed to say it, but I've had this page in progress since 2004. Yup, it was a class project at one of the Camp Memory Makers 2004 events. I've used the design on some pages and cards since then, but never used the original page. Since this page had the aqua and red, I added some white lace and cardstock, a few additional embellishments and some photos of DGD. I really love this color combination - need to use this more often!

The "grid it" challenge!

2011-08-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

Another one of the challenges from Shimelle Laine (http://www.shimelle.com/) was to make a grid-patterned layout. I had been struggling with scrapping some of the photos from our motorcycle trip to the Outer Banks this year and I thought printing smaller size photos and using a grid design would be a good way to get some of the random photos scrapped. (I have a ton of photos but they are all kinda "so-so", know what I mean?)

I used some pp from Basic Grey and Lily Bee, some Lily Bee tiny alpha stickers and some really old MM rubons, and a travel sticker that has been in my stash forever - it's nice to use up some of the older supplies!

Another challenge from Shimelle Laine

2011-08-14T08:25:00.000-04:00

For this challenge @ Shimelle.com, we were given a starting point - a basic page layout to use and build from - sort of like starting with a sketch.

I used some Pink Paislee & October Afternoon papers for this page of my DGD. She learned how to make this face from her cousin and now she thinks it's so funny to do this! Ahhh....the joy of being two!

Hybrid challenge from Shimelle.com

2011-08-12T17:03:00.000-04:00

Shimelle Laine is hosting an on-line crop this weekend at her blog here. The first challenge was to use some digital printables to create a hybrid project (the digital printables are free on her blog and they are awesome!)
I used all three printables on my project, as well as some old Pink Paislee papers and some Maya Road kraft coasters. (The printables are the journaling block, and the different size circles, which I used as flower centers and as a scallop border.) Most of the challenges for the on-line crop will be due next Sunday, so you have a whole week to get them finished. Looks like lots of fun - hope to see you there!

Glue dots & glitter!

2011-08-10T22:14:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays was to use glue dots or glue lines to adhere glitter to a card. This is such a great non-messy way to glitter a project!

I paper pieced this card, using clip art from PC Hug Club and some dimensional foam adhesive. I applied glue dots to the scallop-punched border and then sprinkled lime green glitter over top. Another glue dot was applied to the star on the witch's hat, and sprinkled with yellow glitter. I used some of my favorite Lily Bee alphabet stickers for the sentiment and added some purple ink around the edges and a little lime green ribbon.

Blog hop winner!

2011-08-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

There were three entries for my challenge for the Practical Scrappers blog hop, so I used random.org to choose a number and the winner is......#3 Marie!

Marie, please post here with your mailing address (or email address so I can contact you, if you prefer) so I can get your prize in the mail. Thanks to everyone who played along and everyone who took part in the blog hop!

Practical Scrappers "Home" projects

2011-08-08T06:49:00.000-04:00

This week, Practical Scrappers will be featuring some "home" projects. These aren't the DIY kind - they're cards and pages featuring houses.

I made this canvas a couple of months ago, after seeing some of the projects my on-line friends had made in Christy Tomlinson's "She Art" classes. Christy (the owner of Scarlet Lime) has several videos on making art canvases on YouTube. Check them out for some great inspiration!

This is an 8x10 canvas that I bought on sale at Michaels. I coated it with gesso as a base, then started layering papers from the back to the front: the cloud paper for sky, then a couple of green papers cut on curves for the grassy hills. The house was tucked in between the two green papers. The flowers and bird were fussy cut from pp, and the hearts were cut with my Cricut. The house and all it's part were cut free hand. The sun is a circle punch and then some wedges cut from pp as the sun "rays". The clothesline poles were cut from grungeboard, so they would be a little thicker and add some dimension. I tied some DMC Memory Thread to the posts for the clothesline. (This thread has a wire center so it's flexible and sturdier than just plain cord.) The hearts are attached with tiny paper clips. As a final touch, I added the sentiment with rubon alphas, a splash of yellow paint around the sun, and a yellow sticker border at the bottom.

It's Blog Hop Time @ Practical Scrappers!

2011-08-05T00:01:00.048-04:00

Thanks for joining us for the Practical Scrappers Blog Hop. We're sharing projects that relate to the number two since it's our second anniversary! Some of our DT members will be sharing projects and some will host challenges, so be sure to visit all the blogs this weekend to see everyone's projects!

As my part of the blog hop, I'm hosting a "pairs" challenge. Pick one of the options below and create a one or two page layout using that pair of items. (You can use other items, too, as long as you include the two items in your selected pair.) Deadline is midnight Sunday, 8/7. I'll post a random prize winner on Monday, 8/8. Just link your project to this thread. The winner will receive a bag of ribbon and two sets of Thickers!

1) cardstock only (no patterned paper) and ribbon or twine
2) patterned paper only (no cardstock) and buttons
3) journaling strips and two photos
4) two or more types of alphas in your title and brads somewhere on your page
5) two different sizes of photos and handwritten journaling

All of our designers have worked hard on their challenges and projects and I know you'll enjoy checking out their blogs. If you started at the beginning with Practical Scrappers, then your next stop will be Audrey's blog. But just in case, here's the entire blog hop list:

Kerri

;(You Are Here)

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today! I hope you enjoy our blog hop!

Our first card sketch for August!

2011-08-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for the first card sketch for August from Sassy Lil Sketches! We have a new DT this month and a new posting schedule, so be sure to check out the blog and sketch challenges!

Here's this week's sketch. There are a lot of elements to this sketch, but don't be afraid to try it - it was a lot of fun to work with!

Here's my card from the sketch. I used some older Basic Grey, and a large needle to punch holes in a circle design as faux stitching. The sentiment was stamped on the pp and then colored with Copics.

If you use this sketch, be sure to link your creation up to the blog post for a chance to win a prize from this month's sponsor, My Favorite Things. We look forward to seeing your creations!

It's a two-page layout challenge!

2011-08-03T03:30:00.003-04:00

As part of our second anniversary celebration @ Practical Scrappers, today's challenge is to do a two-page layout. When I first started scrapping about 13 years ago, almost every layout I did was a two-pager. Then I found myself going more and more towards single page layouts - I guess because they were easier to do for challenges and DT assignments and they were more "in style". But I really like two-page layouts, especially for occasions when you have lots of pictures.....and I always take lots of pictures, LOL!

I used Echo Park's "Splash" collection for this layout of my DGD swimming in my parents' pool this summer. She's only two, but she's doing a great job swimming and splashing in the pool!

We'd love to see your two page layouts, so please link them up to the Practical Scrappers blog!

It's time for "Two's Bingo" @ Practical Scrappers!

2011-08-02T03:30:00.008-04:00

Today, the anniversary challenge @ Practical Scrappers is a bingo game! There's a bingo card posted on the Practical Scrappers blog, and the challenge was to pick a line from the card and make a layout that includes two of each item in that line.

I chose a diagonal line, so my items were two pp's, two ribbons, and two stamps. Here's my page, showing my DGD with her goldfish that her grandpa won for her at our county fair. (I'm sure her parents appreciated that, LOL!) I used a green grid pp, along with a pink,green & orange striped pp; green stitched and pink checked ribbons, and a doodle stamp under the fish along with a distressed grid background stamped in pink on the green pp.

Hope you stop by the Practical Scrappers blog to take part in our bingo game and the other anniversary events!

Same inspiration but two different cards!

2011-08-01T03:30:00.018-04:00

Since we're celebrating our second anniversary at Practical Scrappers, this week will be full of challenges revolving around the number "two".

Today's challenge is to create two cards from the same sketch or using the same item(s) BUT the cards themselves have to be different. I used this sketch from Sassy Lil Sketches to make two cards:

For the Fall card, I used my Cricut to die cut the leaves (Doodlecharms cartridge, cut at 1.25")and then adhered them to the card front with pen stitching. I added some bakers' twine, a button, and alpha stickers for my sentiment.

For the Christmas card, I used my Cricut again to cut 1.25" circles on a 4.25" x 5.5" rectangle for the card front (you could also use a circle punch). I stamped and colored the reindeer and Santa images and then placed them behind the circle cutouts, with Santa peeking out of the center circle. I added a ribbon bow and a sticker sentiment at the bottom.

Same sketch but two completely different cards. We'd love to see your take on today's challenge, so please share it on the Practical Scrappers' blog!

CAS-ual Fridays 4x9 challenge

2011-07-31T19:55:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge @ CAS-ual Fridays is to make a 4x9 card. This is fun size to work with - it's a little different yet it fits in a standard business size envelope, so it's easy to mail. I cut some green patterned paper scraps into triangles, cut the star with my Cricut, and then added a brown cardstock trunk and some twine and a button for this Christmas tree card. If you have a few minutes, check out the DT examples and the entries for this challenge - there are some VERY cute cards posted!

Lily Pad card sketch challenge

2011-07-31T19:46:00.001-04:00

Lily Pad Cards has another sketch challenge from Lucy's Lovely Lines. I this sketch is so versatile and could be adapted for many different occasions, but I decided to use it for a Halloween card. These little "Boo Crew" stamps are from Unity Stamps. I stamped them with Memento black ink and colored them with Copics. The twine is actually white cotton crochet thread that I colored with Copics since I didn't have any bakers' twine in Halloween colors. The edges were sponged with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink and then I added some penwork around the edges.

This week's challenge @ iCopic - anything but a card!

2011-07-29T19:24:00.003-04:00

This week's challenge at iCopic was to create anything but a card. I experimented with a few things and ended up making this Christmas ornament. The wreath & sentiment image was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, and then colored with Copics. (I also used my Copic sepia marker to color the ribbon, since it was a red & white checked and I wanted a more vintage look.) I dabbed some Antique Linen Distress stain over the image, and then used Vintage Photo Distress ink around the edges. The base of the ornament is two layers of chipboard, with pp on the back and sticky back canvas on the front. The canvas was inked with Fired Brick and Vintage Photo Distress inks. I brushed two layers of matte finish Mod Podge over the stamped image and then sprinkled a few mica flakes around the edges for a little bit of sparkle.

The last Sassy Lil Card Sketch for July!

2011-07-28T16:42:00.000-04:00

Here's the last Sassy Lil card sketch for July. It's a simple sketch, but such fun with the circle/scallop area and layers!

I did something a little different this time around - no stamping! I used some Christmas papers and some Bella Blvd. stickers for the house image and sentiment, and then just added some tiny crystals and a bow. Getting a head start on my Christmas cards this year!
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Don't forget to link your card from this sketch to the Sassy Lil Card Sketch blog for a chance to win a prize from this month's sponsor - CupCards To Go!

Be sure to check out Sassy Lil Sketches and Sassy Lil Card Sketches in August, as we welcome new DT members and a new sketch schedule - lots of fun and inspiration to be found!

Jingle Belles "reindeer games" challenge

2011-07-19T17:19:00.002-04:00

This week's challenge @ Jingle Belles was to create a Christmas card with a reindeer or some other animal featured. I used my Cricut and the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge to make this little gift-giving bird. I added some alpha stickers from Lily Bee, some funny google eyes, and a little bit of bakers' twine. The card base was embossed and inked for a little added texture.

One layer cards over @ Practical Scrappers

2011-07-18T18:31:00.001-04:00

Today's post @ Practical Scrappers spotlights one-layer cards. So many cards we see on scrappy blogs and sites are made up of many layers of pp, cardstock and embellishments. They definitely are gorgeous works of art, but sometimes you just want something a little more streamlined. However, that doesn't mean that single layer cards can't be gorgeous, too! Just look at the examples over at Practical Scrappers. Some of the cards done with stamps and masking techniques look like they are made of layers of patterned paper.

The cards I made for this challenge are pretty simple. For this first card, I stamped the flower image and then sponged some Distress Ink on the flowers to give a more rustic look. To get the sentiment shaped over the flower image, I placed the acrylic sentiment stamp on my acrylic stamping block in a curved shape (that's one nice thing acrylic stamps - they're flexible!) I added a wavy doodled border with a fine tip brown pen.

For the second card, I colored the tree stamp with Tombow markers to get the multicolored image. The sentiment was stamped in brown ink, and then I stitched a border with gold tinsel thread for a little sparkle, and inked the edges with Distress Ink for some extra color.

I hope you'll be inspired to try a single layer card soon!

Lily Pad Themed card challenge for July

2011-07-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

Lily Pad Cards' current challenge is a patriotic theme, using the colors of your country's flag or your school colors - something you're loyal to. I colored this digi image with Copics and then added some hand stitching and little Fired Brick Distress Ink around the edges.

"Fashionista" challenge @ Getting Cricky

2011-07-16T17:17:00.001-04:00

This week's challenge at Getting Cricky was to create something with a "fashionista" theme.

I had these photos that I took right after my DGD was born; a closet and drawers just full of sleepers, bibs, dresses, and all kinds of other cute outfits. DD definitely was prepared for a stylin' little baby girl! The little onesie was cut from the Life's a Party cartridge, at 2.25".

July 14th - time for a new Sassy Lil Card Sketch!

2011-07-14T06:48:00.001-04:00

This week's sketch at Sassy Lil Card Sketches was a simple but stylish one. I really loved the extra touch of the shaped border on the right.

Here's my card from the sketch. For a change, there's no stamping on this one. I used a Santa image cut from a sheet of Pink Paislee's Christmas line last year, and a rub-on sentiment. I used a holly leaf border punch for the trim strip, and then added a little green glitter pen to the leaves and some tiny red pearls for the berries.

This month's sponsor is CupCards To Go. Be sure to link up your card from this week's sketch (or any of the July sketches) to the Sassy Lil Card Sketch blog for a chance to win a prize!

A taste of summer

2011-07-12T19:23:00.000-04:00

Today's challenge @ Practical Scrappers was to create a fruit inspired project. I used some October Afternoon papers and stickers for this photo of my DGD eating strawberries. She loves any kind of berries, especially if they're on top of ice cream!