Wednesday Freebie

Welcome to the ScrapStreet Wednesday freebie! Today we have a mini kit for you by Handmaid Designs. This is an add-on to the fun summer kit Bliss.


You can download it here and don't forget to show us your creations either here or in our ScrapStreet Gallery. Enjoy!

Saturday Challenge 6/26

Apparently...World Cup Fever is contagious!

My husband...who has never watched two minutes of soccer in his entire life...has been infected.

He has even been recording the games (or is it "matches" ?) to watch later.

And me? I remain immune.

But I DO think that some of the posters and advertisements are very cool.

This week's challenge is to use the above poster (or any other World Cup poster or ad) for inspiration for your scrappy projects. Link us to your project and to your inspirational piece. Post back here by Thursday night for a chance to win a prize.

80's Flashback

My daughter and I went shopping at a local mall a few days ago and I had a serious case of deja vu. On every rack, I saw buffalo plaid, neon splatters and metallics. I felt like I was back in 1984 doing my own school shopping!

They say that all styles make a comeback at some point, but I was surprised by some of the trends that I saw. While I can live without big hair and shoulder pads, some of the trends that I saw are fun to revisit. Plaid, for example, has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but has never really gone out of style. I saw lots of variations, from mini checks to buffalo plaid.

There was also a broad spectrum of colors gracing the racks. Lots of neon (who could imagine the 80's without neon?) and also lots of muted colors, like dusty purple. Shiny metallics embellished just about every accessory and piece of clothing that I saw.

Jumping on the 80's flashback trend, I decided to create a project that pulled some of these design ideas together. I pulled out an old plaid background stamp from Stampin' Up, inked it with Charcoal chalk ink, and stamped it on dusty purple cardstock. I used part of this for my background. Then I trimmed a strip, misted it with water and scrunched it up to make a ruffle for my card. Ruffles were everywhere at the mall, especially on plaid button-down shirts! This was the perfect embellishment for my 80's card.

I finished my card by adding "u rock" with puffy alphas, an over-sized blingy brad and some metallic stars trimmed from patterned paper. The result: a card appropriate for a trendy teen or your best friend from high school.

Wednesday Freebie

Word art can be very useful on your layouts whether paper or digital, taking the place of a title or journaling. So here is a free pack of four for you!



You can download it here and have fun!

Photographing unwilling subjects

My boys are anti-camera these days. They refuse to sit still and smile. My shots have become mostly candids witha  few bribed photo shoots snuck in for good measure. Here's an example from last fall where Sam refused to turn around and smile. I decided to click at him anyway! I love the shot here and how the photo of the pigs shows what he was looking at. Sometimes it's best to just click away I guess! Of course, I had to add in the milk bottle cap - thought it was oh so fun with the farm animals.

Saturday Challenge 6/19

My 15 year old son told me last week that I am a workaholic.
He says that I need to relax more and that I deserve more fun in my life.
He says that I should take more "off" days...days where the rule is NO work allowed.

Of course, he has an ulterior motive here.
Because, when I'm working in the house, yard, or garden,
he is likely to be recruited as a helper.
So he figures the less work that I do, the less work HE will end up doing.

Still...he isn't altogether wrong on that workaholic thing.
It isn't that I just LOVE to work. But I do like to stay busy.
I usually start out the week with the intentions of getting ALL my work done,
and THEN have time for play.
A good plan...on paper.
But you know how it is.
Are we ever really and truly DONE?
There is always that errand that needs to be run,
or that chore you've been putting off,
or that next project waiting around the corner.

But...he is right.
We all need to have fun in our lives.
We need to take time for ourselves.
We deserve it, right?

So the challenge for this week has two parts:
1. Scrap about something you do for fun.
2. Make sure to HAVE some fun!!

As for me...I am promising myself to take some "off" time this week.
Oooh, maybe I'll just get my son to do half of my chores.
You know...since is so worried about my "fun" level.

Where to begin?

Hi everyone!

Melissa here with a question for you.  What is the most disliked part of scrapbooking?  Can you guess?  I bet if I surveyed 100 people about 90 would say: "Organizing those photos!!"  Did you know that's also the answer to the question - where do we begin with scrapbooking?  Perhaps you are like me and have a large bin of photos that have been sitting around forever. 

You've been glancing at it every once in awhile and say to yourself, "I'll get to that next week when my schedule isn't so crazy."  

Next week rolls around and what do we do?

"Oooh.. but I have more important things to do right now like reorganize my stickers.."

The stickers get organized in five minutes because you've been organizing them a lot already.  So you look at that pile again.

"It's not that big of a deal."

Why do we put off this most important task??  For many, it's because we have no idea where to begin.  How in the world do we even start to organize a humongous pile of photos!  Well I'm here to tell you it's quite simple. 

Stop rolling your eyes.  It's true.

What you don't know about that drawer of photos of mine is that they are all organized.  All those little albums have photos that I know about already.  They're all organized how I want them and either ready for a page or just hanging out until I finally let go. 

Your first step to organizing your photos is to get them all in one place.  Dig in your closet, get them out of your desk drawers and hallway storage closet.  Get them all into a place where you can sit and begin to sift through them.  Put them in a place where you spend a lot of time - like the living room.  You can organize while you're watching TV.  And what you're going to begin doing is organizing them how you want.  It can either be by event, travels, people, places, family, chronological, etc.  However you desire.  And yes, it's really up to you!

After you get them into their piles or groups, begin to label the back.  As you have begun to organize, I'm sure memories have flooded your mind.  You probably will begin to have a great time looking through photos because they will trigger memories you're fond of.  Sometimes, this can help kick in that MOJO that you were lacking before. 

When you label, make sure you use a pen like a Zig Memory System pen.  I love my ball, 5mm pen.  These are archival, pigment ink, photo safe, acid free and waterproof.  The ink dries fast and won't bleed.  This is important for preserving your photos.  I also use labels if I don't want to write directly on the photo.

Record the five W's - who, what, when, where, why.  It can just be a little jot of notes.  Enough that will trigger your memory when you come back to the photo in order to scrap it.

Store your photos in a photo box or other container that is acid free and archival.  This will ensure the longevity of your photos so they don't fade or yellow.

There is no doubt that this will be a HUGE task for some.  Take your time and enjoy the process.  You will be so happy and have that "cleansed" feeling when you're done organizing!!  Then, you can scrap them and submit to our current calls! Yay!

hugs,
Melissa

Freebie Alpha Today!

Happy Wednesday! 

Today we have a simple alphabet that will work with lots of kits.  A bit chipboard, a bit white felt, and a touch of black on the border, it will be one you reach for to do your titles again and again.  Full capital, lowercase, numbers, and punctuation in Simple Alphabet.  Download and enjoy today!

We would love to see what you create!  Have a super scrappy week!

Summertime - a time for learning!

Hi Everyone! Jen Wuthrich here with a post for you today!

Summer vacation is in full swing here in Colorado. My kids have officially been in summer mode for the past few weeks. Each year as summer approaches I start planning activities that my kids will enjoy while keeping them busy. This summer we are involved in summer reading, swimming, gymnastics, and tennis.

In addition to all of the “busy activities” we also spent at least 1 hour a day doing school work. Do you hear that noise? Yes, that is the noise of three children grumbling! My kids assure me that I am the only mom left on the planet that requires school work during the summer. (Smile) I assure them that I’m not ;) Right, I’m not – right?

While keeping their minds active this month (something I am sure their teacher’s will appreciate in a few weeks) I also am keeping my mind active. On of the things that I want to learn more about this summer are my Copic Markers. I adore these markers, but I have to admit it’s taken a lot of practice (trial and error) along with a lot of tutorials from you tube.

Today, I wanted to share a great set of videos that I ran across dealing with the subject of “light source”. I think you too will agree that this is SUCH an amazing and easy way to explain light source

Here’s the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjcOuJQtTAE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbE8otIxk40&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deWyyOdAX7Q&NR=1


Well armed with my new “light source tool (see videos)” I am off to happily create today!

Have a super crafty day everyone!

Jen Wuthrich

Saturday Challenge---6/12

My family traveled to Georgia this week to spend a day at Six Flags. We had a blast! But my husband and I both agree...the amusement park experience is VERY different at 40something than it was as teenagers. Oh the rides are just as thrilling and as scary as they were back then. But now they are scary for a whole different set of reasons. Like, "is my back gonna go out if I ride this?" While I was there, I couldn't help but notice all the scrappy elements to the park. Fun color combos, buildings with interesting designs, the shapes of the rides, even the signs with arrows pointing here and there...it all just screamed "scrapbooking possibilities". My daughter caught me looking around, rolled her eyes, and said: "we are at SIX FLAGS. With tons of exciting things to see and do. And YOU are looking at that little flower garden area over there and thinking about how that would make a pretty picture. Aren't you?" *shrug and grin* What can I say...the girl knows me. :) Anyway....this week's challenge is to create something that is inspired by one or both of the above amusement park pics. Link back here by Thursday for a chance to win a prize. Have fun!!

Ready To Play?

Happy Thursday everyone! Scrapstreet Features Writer, Aymee Gandy, here to share a tip with you today. Have you ever found a gorgeous, 'to-die-for' piece of paper that you just love? It is just so beautiful, you almost hate to scrap over it. If so, I have a neat idea for you.

For me, that marvelous sheet of paper is the Jenni Bowlin Play Date die cut paper seen here....isn't it scrumptious?!!!

Here is the layout I have created...."Just Buggin' Out."
Now, on to the tip....pull out those craft knives and get to cutting. I find it is easier to preform cutwork such as this on a glass mat. I used a metal ruler to make sure my lines were cut straight. I cut each 'ray' of sunshine using my craft knife. I then slid my photo behind the sunshine and used foam pop dots to pop up the 'rays' for added dimension. Last, I curled up the edges of the rays. Here is an up close view of that....
Up close of the coordinating Jenni Bowlin journaling card.

Title Work...

I hope you will give this technique a try on your favorite pieces of patterned paper today! It really is so fun and gives your pages a different look!

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Scrappin'!

Hot Stuff Freebie

It's time for our Wednesday freebie! This week we have an alpha for you that is unashamedly girly and just right for those tots to teen scrap pages. You can use it digitally, but it is also suitable to print out for those of you who enjoy getting your fingers covered in glue!


Slightly opaque, shiny and sooo pink, there is a full uppercase, lowercase with numbers and punctuation. The dropshadows are for the preview only! Download here and be sure to show us how you use it!

Don't Throw Away the Leftovers!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I am going to show you a quick little trick on getting the most out of your scrapbooking supplies. Lately I have been trying to find new uses for my leftover scraps. One day I was sifting through my partially used die-cut sheets and had a cute idea. I can cut a portion of my die-cut sheet out, back it with patterned paper, and create a layered look on my layout. So that is exactly what I did.



You can also use your negative portion of the empty die-cut sheet as a mask and mist over it or you can trace it to create your own pattern to cut out. You could also trace it and use it as a faux stamp on a page. So many possibilities with something that we would normally just discard and not think twice about. What other uses can you think of for your empty die-cut sheet?

Until later!
Diana

Easy Gift Bag Toppers

Have you ever found yourself scrambling at the last minute to come up with some pretty packaging? I used to try to stock up on fancy gift bags for every holiday and interest. Not only was this a bit pricey but it also presented a storage challenge. Keeping all of those gift bags organized and wrinkle-free wasn't easy. An easier, and more economical, solution is to create gift bag toppers for basic kraft gift bags. Not only can you get packages of 2-3 plain gift bags for $1, but you can also use your scraps to decorate them.
For my bag topper, I used my Cricut to cut out a label shape and its shadow. I cut the original label shape in half. (I only used one half-you can use the other for a second gift bag!) I then folded the shadow die cut in half and trimmed a wide slit along the fold. Make sure that the slit is wide enough to fit over both of the bag handles. I ran the half-label through my Cuttlebug before adhering to the front of the bag topper.

Now you can embellish your bag topper any way you would like. I chose to trace a chipboard bird onto patterned paper from American Crafts. I then matted the bird shape with black cardstock and hand cut a wing from a coordinating patterned paper. The wing is embellished with a button and twine.

For a sentiment, I stamped "For You" onto a white cardstock circle and matted it with a scalloped circle punched from black cardstock. I also used pop-dots to attach this to the bag topper.

This bag topper is generic enough to be used for a variety of occasions, yet is more thoughtful than a purchased bag. Keep a few bag toppers on hand and you'll be ready the next time you need a last minute gift wrap!

Freebie Wednesday

Welcome to freebie Wednesday and for those of you who love freebies (and who doesn't) we have no less than 2 treats from the Streets for you today.
Have you got enough journaling tags? The kind you can use for digital and or printing? well here is an A4 page set up for printing of a half dozen or so journaling tags.  Use them as you like. They are in jpeg format with white background so to cut them out for digital scrapbooking just click on the white space with your magic selection tool and clear the selection(with photoshop you have to make the background a layer first.  If you are unable to do this then when you have used your selection tool got to selection and invert it, then copy and paste into a transparent  file.

Download here for journal tags

Second to download is the Scrapstreet magazine Free Digital Kit for June SUMMER DOODLE is designed by digi team member Jorinde
"Jorinde has created a kit just full of summer bliss. Summer Doodle has soft warm colors and some pretty handpainted flowers, birds and butterflies. With the grass and tree overlay, just imagine being in a warm garden listening to the birds and bees...how peaceful! Enjoy your summer scrapping and be sure to submit your work to us or post it in our gallery!"
Download here

So go have fun downloading.

The 50's...

I have become obsessed with the 50's.

Seriously.

I have been working with a new paper line from Paper Trunk recently and I am totally consumed with reading about the 50's, listening to music from the 50's, even trying to incorporate 50's inspired food, clothing, or gifts into my life!

"Great Balls of Fire" can make ANYONE want to get up and dance!

LOVE it!

Recently my father-in-law turned 69. He's a real cool cat and I wanted to show him how much we cared about him. I only had a day to get everything together so I was heels on fire from the start!

First I made him a few cookies. What says "you're a CHERRY guy!" like a plate full of cherry cookies!

Figured I would also wrap up his gift in that "era" as well! Fat city, ya dig?

Have you ever found yourself "wrapped up" in a certain period of time? I know I am having a blast learning all of these great things from the 50's!

Well that is all from me; I'm cuttin' out!

Later Gator!

-Brianne