Card Making Monday : You Are Amazing

Happy Monday! I'm back with another card using supplies from my stash. Patterns from Crate Paper were layered behind a doily and ruffled washi tape. Doilies will forever have a place in my projects. 

SUPPLIES :: Paper Cut White Felt Cardstock / Crate Paper Peppermint Collection / Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist / A Muse Studio Doily, Stamp, Valentine's Collection Washi Tape / StazOn Jet Black Ink / Studio Calico Wood Veneer

Drill #16: Sketch & Twine

Happy Saturday, Paper Crafters! It's time for another Drill with S.W.A.T! This week we have a great sketch from our very own, Bev Code. 

In addition to the sketch, we challenge you to use twine on your project! One lucky participant will receive a $10 gift certificate to 3 Scrappy Boys... Just link up your project by September 28th.

I had this photo from a baseball game with dear friends this summer that just needed to be scrapped. I matted the photo with white cardstock and wrapped white twine around the bottom three times. I tied the twine together behind the photo and let the curly ends hang loose. 

Before adhering any of the layers, I added ink splatters to the background in place of the circle element on the sketch. After adhering everything down, it really needed an element there with more weight to it. Therefore, I took a colored pencil and my Martha Stewart Circle Cutter and created a fun half circle on the page. 

I can't wait to see your take on the sketch and how you incorporate twine! Looking for more inspiration before diving in? Check out the S.W.A.T blog to see my fellow design team members and their layouts! 

 SUPPLIES :: BoBunny Morning, Studio Calico (Cheerful & Love Wins Papers, Cork Washi Tape, Mister Huey's Silver), Crate Paper (Happy Day & Lifetime Papers, Storyteller Stickers), American Crafts Puffy Vinyl Thickers, We R Memory Keepers Brads, Queen & Co Dots, Ocotober Afternoon Travel Girl Washi Tape

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Close To My Heart Paper Distresser, Martha Stewart Circle Cutter

Let's Look Back...

I love looking back at the first cards and layouts I created. It can be comical and embarrassing, but there's nothing like it. So why not share it with you too?! 

The layout below was one of my first samples made for Creations Galore, using Crate Paper's Farmhouse Collection. 

I thought I was so creative using the orange bar code strip as a decorative element. This collection is still one of my favorites. I'll admit, I've been hoarding a few scraps. 

Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me today! 

Unscripted Sketches :: Flashback Sketch #69

Thanks for stopping by this morning! We've got another Flashback Sketch from Unscripted Sketches! This summer, the design team has been going back in time, picking randomly selected sketches to use in a new and creative way! This Saturday, sketch #69 is the inspiration! 

I flipped the sketch upside down and mixed up a few of the elements. 

For this card, I was determined to use nothing but a 6x6 paper pad from Crate paper. Therefore, I made the base smaller than my average cards, creating a folded card of 3x5 inches. It's the perfect size to include in a baby shower gift! The bunny was stamped on the same cardstock as the card base and then again on patterned paper to piece together the pink elements. The white banner for the sentiment was the back side of a scrap of patterned paper from the pack. 

Stop by Unscripted Sketches to take a look at my fellow design team members' projects and a chance to play along! 

SUPPLIES :: Peachy Keen Stamps Somebunny Special Stamp, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Mister Huey's Dewey Mist, Crate Paper Random 6x6 Paper Pad

TOOLS :: A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Cutter, Close To My Heart Paper Distresser

Retro Sketches :: Caffeine Fix

Hello! Yesterday I planned to have a full day to myself. I anticipated not leaving my house, sleeping in, and spending the day in my pajamas at my craft table. Sounds great, right?! After a call at 7 AM from a friend in need, I knew the day would be nothing as I planned. And sure enough, I had two other friends after that with frustrating events that needed some tending to. Rather than a day as a hermit, I ran around town. And you know what? I wouldn't change it. At the very end of the day, I was able to sit down long enough to create this card, and it sums up each of those "appointments" pretty well.

I used the sketch above from Retro Sketches as inspiration. I can't get enough of this sentiment. There really is nothing caffeine (and maybe a really good friend with a day off) can't fix! 

The cup was stamped on white cardstock and layered on top of patterned papers and embellishments - Honestly, a random selection of items on my desk. 

Thanks for stopping by. May this bit of caffeine in the form of a card brighten your day!

SUPPLIES :: A Muse Studio Sugar Cardstock, Pebbles Walnut Grove 6x6 Paper Pad, Mister Huey's Dark Calico Mist, Market Street Stamps Daily Grind Set, Memento Rich Cocoa Ink, A Muse Studio Latte Pearls, Crate Paper Maggie Holmes Ephemera Pack

TOOLS :: Close To My Heart Paper Distresser, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, MyStik Permanent Adhesive, Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer

On Trend :: Sunbursts

Happy Monday! It's time for another feature with the On Trend team at Practical Scrappers. Today we're looking at the sunburst trend. With summer in full swing, we're seeing this all over! I'm so excited to bring you my take in the form of layout. 

This gorgeous background paper full of clouds was the perfect starting point to document my summer photos. I found a coordinating paper and cut triangles freehand and arranged them onto the page. Embrace imperfection! No need to measure or draw them out first. Just cut. Independently, a single triangle may look weird, but it creates a fun sun as a whole. 

Faux stitching was added with a black pen to the sun rays and the word 'fly' (cut with the Silhouette Cameo). I recently received a kit from Citrus Twist with the stamp I used below the title. This layout came together so quickly with the help of the kit... I highly recommend checking out their site! They have 3 and 6 month subscriptions along with a single trial kit if desired!

Head over to the Practical Scrappers blog to see the beautiful projects using this hot trend! 

SUPPLIES :: Citrus Twist Play Land Main Kit (American Crafts Dear Lizzy Noteworthy, Crate Paper Decor, Maggie Holmes Remember This, Studio Calico Seafoam, My Mind's Eye Perfect) American Crafts Puffy Vinyl Thickers

TOOLS :: Fiskars Scrapbooking Rotary Paper Trimmer, MyStick Permanent Adhesive, Silhouette Cameo, American Crafts Black Basic Pen, StazOn Jet Black ink, A Muse Studio Acrylic Block

No Stamp Card Making

Good afternoon! One of my favorite products to pick up from any manufacturer are 12x12 cut out sheets. Whether they contain journaling cards, images, or sentiments, I pick them up! I don't mind fussy cutting; therefore, these cut out sheets become inexpensive embellishments! 

Today's card is made from just that! It's easy and fast with no stamp involved!

The 'live in the moment' piece was a 3x4 journaling card from Echo Park's Here & Now collection. I added that to the card with scraps of washi tape, patterned paper, and a random die cut. To add more blue to the card, I cut out the butterfly from Crate Paper's 12x12 Accent Cuts included in the On Trend Collection. To add dimension to the butterfly, I added glue to the center only and used my fingers to pop up the wings. He's ready to fly off the page!

And no project of mine is complete without a little spray ink and some sequins. I challenge you to look at journaling card and accent sheets just a little differently. Do you use them already? 

SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Sugar, Wasabi)

Patterned Paper: Echo Park (Flower Buds, 3x4 Journaling Cards), Crate Paper (Accent Cuts), Studio Calico (Ethereal)

Embellishments: A Muse Studio Sequins (Pearl, Gold), Crate Paper (Maggie Holmes Ephemera Pack)

Spray Ink: Studio Calico Mister Huey's (Sherbet) 

Tools: Close To My Heart (Edge Distresser)

SWAT Drill #10 :: Sweet Summertime

Thank you for joining me today for the new Drill over at SWAT! This challenge asks you to show us your summertime! All things summer themed go - a family trip or tradition, a party, or a day at the beach. We just want to see some sunshine! 

As always, we have a fabulous prize pack to help motivate you! Link up you project at the SWAT blog by June 28th! 

And here's the card I created for the challenge:

I love these die cuts from the Pier Ephemera Pack from Crate Paper! I paired it with A Muse Studio sequins, Basic Grey pins, and We R Memory Keepers patterned paper. Just a touch of faux stitching and vellum too!

I can't wait to see what summer project you whip up!

SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio
Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers (Harmony)
Stamps: A Muse Studio
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), ZIG Writer
Embellishments: BasicGrey (Pins and Tags), Crate Paper (Pier Ephemera Pack), A Muse Studio Sequins (Gold, Pearl)

Time To Use It :: Masculine

Hey there folks! It's time for a new challenge at Use It Tuesday... This week's theme is MASCULINE. Remember, all of our challenges call for hoarded supplies. We want to see what you create! Link up your masculine themed project by Friday, June 21st, making sure to let us know what products you're using up! As always, one lucky participant will be randomly chosen to be a featured guest designer in an upcoming challenge. 

I had every intention of making the most manly page ever when I grabbed the papers that I did for the layout below. I'm not sure what happened. As I grabbed embellishments and put the page together, I'm not sure I made the most masculine themed project! But don't worry... I have many more manly pages and cards coming your way on the blog this week leading up to Father's Day!

I'm all about baby Hunter, my gorgeous nephew. This is the first family picture my brother and his wife took with their newest addition. So precious. 

Let's talk about hoarding. One, these Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper embellishments and papers are to die for, and I just never ever wanted to use them. They're used now! What I don't want to admit to you all is that I only used small portions of each, so I could still technically hoard them! WOAH MOMMA THIS IS BAD! 

Second, I have these adorable paper polaroid frames that I never seem to use. This one in particular worked well for the color and theme. 

Lastly, this Studio Calico border stamp has gone un-inked for many months. Broke it out for this special occassion and put it to work. 

Please join us this week for the masculine themed challenge. I can't wait to head over to your blog and check out your entry! Thanks for stopping by.

On Trend: Nautical

Ahoy! It's time to set sail with the Practical Scrappers team for another paper crafting trend. This week we're exploring NAUTICAL. Anchors have been showing up everywhere - from stamps to paper to embellishments. 

For my contribution, I chose to use nautical themed colors and patterns to create this baby page. 

Most of the paper and embellishments are from Crate Paper. I love the faux wood/boardwalk paper strip that ties in all of the browns. The page was made for my parents; therefore, the tag was added in the top left corner for future journaling.

I just couldn't resist a few gold sequins which also came in the ephemera pack from Crate Paper. I love red, blue, and gold color combos.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Don't forget to check out all of the great nautical inspired projects up on the Practical Scrappers blog today! 

SUPPLIES
Cardstock: American Crafts (Dark Kraft, White)
Patterned Paper: Glitz Design (Yours Truly Stripe), Crate Paper (Maggie Holmes Click), My Mind's Eye (Oxford Lane Floral Burst)
Embellishments: Crate Paper (Maggie Holmes Ephemera Pack, The Pier Ephemera Pack)

My personal tour guide...

Hello blogland! I've spent almost every night in my craft room catching up on Design Team projects, albums, and baby shower invites; however, I haven't been documenting them much. So sorry! I spent the afternoon yesterday photographing lots of cards and pages, and I'm so excited to share them with you. Where do we start?!

One of the albums I'm working on is dedicated to my travels and experiences in NYC, particularly a girls weekend with my roommate and best friend.

I had spent time in Central Park before this trip but hadn't explored too much of the park. There were several sites within the park that we wanted to view, so my roommate, Rachael, was up to the task of leading us. When it comes to travel, I'm the laid back type. "If we get there, we get there" is my philosophy. For that reason, I'm never the one to be in control of the map or the group. I'll be the first to admit that we would have never seen the statues, castle, or memorial that we wanted to visit. 

I started this layout with a base of green cardstock from American Crafts and gathered together embellishments and papers from Crate Paper's Storyteller collection. I fell in love with this collection when it was first released and knew it would be a great fit for these photos.

For the date, I stamped numbers from the KinderStampO Say It In Type set onto a vellum tag using black StazOn. The yellow scallop, along with the pink scallops that frame the white cardstock, were cut from the bottom portion of the 12x12 papers. I love when companies choose to add decorative elements to their barcode area. 

I use a combination of traditional scrapbook layouts and specialty page protectors in all of my scrapbooks. I first started out with Project Life page protectors but have added pages from American Crafts and We R Memory Keepers to my collection. {Click on each link to be taken to their protectors and learn more about this system} Here's a look at how the pages work with each other. I'll be starting at the beginning of this album and showing you each of the pages in the coming days. 

The journaling card in this sheet is from the Storyteller collection as well and is waiting for me to add some journaling. I would need to create far more layouts to include all of the photos I have of this trip. That's why these sheets are so great to use! 

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with a new card sketch from Unscripted Sketches!

One Sweet Chick

Happy Friday! 

May you have one sweet weekend.

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Bazzill, Paper Cut
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: Market Street Stamps
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Crafter's Ink Brown
Ribbon: A Muse Studio French Roast