ScrapStreet

Go Mini!

2012-01-31T18:25:00.000-06:00

I admit it. I love things in miniature. *pops mini Reese's Cup into mouth* Honestly, what could be better?

Part of the joy of scrapping is that companies make the cutest little items. Do yall remember the first time you saw a Jolee's sticker set? Mine was a baby bath set with the cutest little duckie ever. I just had to have it and it took me forever to be able to talk myself into actually using it.

Now I have a full collection of mini items from flowers to circus animals. Some come in the form of stamps, some are stickers, others are multi-faceted embellishments. I adore them all.

Last month Editor Katey Green said to me--hey, how about we make a Mini Mag in between our quarterly issues? Something that is just a little bite-sized version of the magazine we have lovingly put together for more than 6 years now. A little lightbulb popped over my head and I headed for the computer. Absolutely doable.

What to include? Definitely a free digi kit. Who doesn't love our monthly freebie? And a feature on the generous and talented designer who donates it. And a few layouts by talented scrap artists who show us how to let that kit shine. And then a few more articles with fun topics. Wrap it all up and pop a bit of a bow on it and we are pleased to reveal the ScrapStreet MiniMag!

A big thank you to Kim of Kim Cameron Designs for this month's free kit. It is quite simply darling. Kim creates adorable kits with themes for all the fun in real life. I admit to loving her fun take on Pizza Night. Head on over to her blog and look at all the goodies. She even offers CU freebies! Here is her gift to our readers--Discovery:

Downloads: {paper} {elements 1} {elements 2} {alphabet}
Please respect this generous gift and do not upload/share this kit. Friends are welcome to download it here for the next month. Thank you!

Next month, join us for another issue of our mini mag!

Hello from CHA!

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!

Melissa here blogging from Anaheim, California. It's Winter CHA 2012 and I am having a blast down here checking out all the beautiful new releases from manufacturers. This is my first Winter show. After being at the Summer show two times, it is weird for me to see Spring and Summer colors and patterns. I am so use to seeing collections for Fall and Winter. So this is quite the life for me right now. Being a sunny, warm place and viewing product that gives off a lovely warm vibe.

I thought I would share a few photos with you...

American Crafts has some beautiful new flowers to enhance their collections. Love the colors. They also have new alcohol based markers that color and blend like the dream. The price point on these is very low. I believe they are about $.2.50 a marker. Don't quote me completely on that but they are going to be EXTREMELY affordable.

Crate Paper is always a hit for us. Storyteller is my favorite from them I think.

Loving the alpha sheets!

I cannot get over these frames. They are just beautiful and I see so many possibilities! Leave them raw, alter, frame a photo, do spots of patterned paper or journal inside.

Check out these new Tiny Text stickers from Cosmo Cricket! They are so perfect for the "Me" scrapper than I am. I need several sheets of each please. :)

I am in LOOOOOVE with all four new collections from Lily Bee. This is a must stop booth for me at these shows. These papers are a clean and simple scrappers dream. They are also perfect for creating handmade embellishments... you know... with the Cameo. :)

This is just a little taste into all that there is to see at the Winter show. You can find more photos on my blog - The Profound Brunette. There are more photos from Pink Paislee, My Minds Eye, Basic Grey, etc. More will be coming from Teresa Collins, Echo Park, Nikki Sivils and others.

My 2 Cents!

2012-01-30T06:00:00.022-06:00

Today I’m going to introduce you to a product by Imaginisce called the i-magicut Ribbon Cutter. It’s a cute gadget, but is it worth spending $19.99 on? I have a friend who is a gadget fanatic and she would say YES, I got to have it! She would buy it, use it twice and then shelve it with all the other cool gadgets she collects. But those of us who are sticking to our crafting budget, spending $19.99 on this would mean losing out on quite a bit of other products we are drooling over.

This gadget cuts and seals the ribbon for you and you can use it on ribbons up to 3” wide. It runs on batteries and is portable so you can pack it to take to crops, weekends, or wherever else you are going that you might need to cut and seal ribbon. It heats up within 5 seconds so there is no long waiting time and it does a few different cuts too.

Would I buy it? Well, I have scissors that will cut ribbon just fine. I can cut it in angles, straight, snake tongue whatever way I want. If I wanted something different in a cut I could dig out some decorative scissors and snip away. Fraying ends, well those are a problem on some ribbons but for me it’s not worth buying a gadget for. I like to use clear Elmers glue to end fraying. I dunk a toothpick in the bottle and then rub it across the cut edge. This works just fine. Nail polish works too and if you use color or glittered polish you would be adding a little something extra to your project. Chances are you have a your own method to stop fraying already. I don't have many problems with my ribbons being wrinkled so I'm normally not concerned with flattening my ribbons. But if I would get one that was especially wrinkled up I have an iron in the house, so no problem with getting it nice and flat.

My 2 cents, save your money.

Happy Crafting!

I "Heart" You

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Love is in the air ... I have two loves that my heart belongs to. My husband and my daughter. I wanted to share these layouts with that mind. These photos were not taken on Valentine's Day but they represent the story I wanted to tell.

I decided to use the Basic Grey collection "Kissing Booth" and also My Mind's Eye "Love Me". I liked the soft pink, red and vanilla color pallette. I also used the "Little Black Dress" collection for the card below.

BLISS

MY TWO HEARTS

Happy LOVE Day!!

My Funny Valentine

2012-01-26T23:07:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Valentine's Day is the next big card-making occasion and it's in almost two weeks. Today I'm sharing a funny Valentine's Day card I made. It's perfect for a man, whether it's your husband, son or father. I plan to write "Will you be my Valentine?" on the inside, but you could write anything as long as it's in the form of a question. (Kinda' like Jeopardy.)

Speaking of funny cards, it's not too late to submit to our latest call for submissions. Like Connie, I've been thinking about my article for the April issue, which is about the use of humor in your projects. Although I made a card for today's post (because that's just how I roll), humor can be a fun element in layouts or even party decor. I hope this card inspires you to use your sense of humor (because I know you all have one)! This is no joke! I really mustache you to have fun with your projects. Don't shave it for later, do it now because the deadline to submit is February 18!! :-)

There are lots of great calls out there. Click here for all the deets and happy crafting!

Deceives the eye~

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!!!

I have been thinking about my April call for submission and thought I would show you some examples of what I'm looking for. My call is~

Make a LO that deceives the eye~for example, the LO shows two photos but it really has eight. Send two photos ~show both views.Here are a couple of examples~

Here is another~

So I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas!!!! Send submissions to connie@scrapstreet.com

Submissions are being accepted until Feb.18 at midnight. This is for the April issue of ScrapStreet!!!!
See ya soon!!!!

{travel cards}

2012-01-25T00:32:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Today I have two cards that I made, using some new products. Carina Gardner has new paper sets coming out on Monday, these papers are titled “Well Travelled.” They will be available at www. jessicasprague.com

I had had this idea for a card in my brain for a while, and thus this card came together super quick. Hybrid cards usually come easy to me

Supplies used:

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5

Papers: Carina Gardner

Fonts: Helvetica

Cardstock: Wassau

trying to think Spring

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-06:00

Nothing is blooming around here right now.
Six inches of snow blanket the ground.
We are a long way from spring.
So, I've decided I need to create my own.
This is a very simple (and addicting way) to make some beautiful flowers that you can add to your home, sweaters, scarves, and even cards and pages.

Start with a piece of felt 3 1/2" x 12 " long. Fold it in half the long way (so it is now 1 3/4" x12"), and hot glue where the two edges meet.

Then, snip from the folded edge about every 1/2".

Take one end and start rolling, it helps to add a drop of hot glue every once in awhile to help hold it together.

Boom--you have a bloom!

Once you've done this a few times, you can really start to play around with how big a piece of felt you use and how far apart or how close you snip--it totally changes the outcome.

You can group some blooms to add to a sweater or scarf.

You can use your bloom on a gift tag
(this one is going on a bottle of wine).

Or, you can create a paper tag to use for a gift card envelope (cleverly recycled flattened toilet paper roll).

Now, I want you to be the florist! In each issue of Scrapstreet, my article, Graffiti, looks at popular art for inspiration. For the next issue, I'm looking for ONE BIG FLOWER. Can you guess which famous artist I'll be highlighting?

So, show me ONE BIG FLOWER! You can doodle, stamp, cut, fold, paint, or surprise me with your bloom on your card, scrapbook page, or project, but only use ONE flower. Send your creations to submissions@scrapstreet.com by February 18th.

Check out the other submission calls too... http://scrapstreet.com/ss12/janu12/calls.htm
Turn your mind towards spring!

~Kelly

A freebie to brighten up your weekend

2012-01-21T04:43:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone, we have a bright and cheerful freebie for you this weekend! Take your mind off the gloomy weather and do some scrapping!

Just a few papers and elements to create a page or two, a card or some invites to a party maybe?

You can download it here for the next week then it is gone. As usual, please do not share this - it is free here for all to come and get their own copy!

Enjoy and happy scrapping. Sorry link expired.

How about a Quickie!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.003-06:00

I bet I got your attention! What I'm referring to is the Sakura Quickie Glue pen! This pen is one of the best paper crafting tools out there. If you aren't familiar with it you soon will be.

Basically, it's a pen filled with glue. It looks just like a pen and works just like a pen BUT there is no ink, just a nice fine line of liquid glue. The glue is tinged blue but dries clear. I'm thankful that it is tinged blue because otherwise I wouldn't be able to see it without double strength reading glasses. It dries quickly but it allows you plenty of time to get your bling or embellishment on. If you use more than just a line or drop of the liquid glue it may take longer to dry. For me personally I've only had it take a couple of minutes at the most.

I reach for this glue pen constantly. I use it for small areas that I want to add chalk, glitter or flocking to. It's wonderful if you want to outline or write something because it works just like a pen. I love it for attaching small embellishments and it's great for ribbon too. Draw the line, stick down that ribbon - your done!

This pen is inexpensive, a plus we can all like! I've seen it marked anywhere from $3.50 to $1.99. Mostly it is sold in single packages, but sometimes it comes with three in the package. I'm sure that you can find higher prices and maybe lower prices if you do a little searching. Believe me you will use every single drop, I suggest you get more than just one.

I always have around five of the Quickie glue pens open and laying around my work space. I tend to lose things when I'm working. Technically, they aren't really lost, they are just buried under all the 'stuff' I have spread out all over in my craft room. When I'm creating, things get messy but I tell myself that it's O.K. because creative minds tend to clutter!

Happy Crafting!

MelissaO

Valentines card

2012-01-17T10:21:00.002-06:00

I admit it; I kind of hate Valentine's day. I feel the need to at least make a couple cards though. I kept this one simple and distinctly un-pink. I was inspired for this card by the challenge over at the Ruby Rock-It blog to use a banner, tag or pocket. You have all week to participate to win a prize.

I had this banner sitting around for a while but was afraid to use it. So, thanks for the inspiration!

7 Gypsies Photo Tray and Paper Niche Monthly Kit

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Altered items make great gifts. I made this photo tray for my niece, who isall grown up now. I thought it would benice for her to have a picture of her and her mom (my sister) when she was only9 months old.

I used the Paper Niche Monthly design team kit forJanuary. It is full of paper andembellishments. The 7 Gypsies 4x6 PhotoTray was not included in the kit, but I’ve wanted to make a photo tray for along time and thought it would make a great birthday gift for my niece.

Paper Niche January's kit features

Paper - October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin, Prima, and Glitz

Embellishments - Prima flowers (2), Glitz tinialpha, Glitz stickers (Peekaboo and Paper Layers), Webster’s Pages sparklers,crepe paper, Maya Road chip board letters, Prima bling tiles and buttons, andyummy candy from the candy bar.

Ribbon - 5 yards ribbon from Maya Road, American Craft, andPrima

I used mostly the Glitz Girls “Vintage Blue” collection which was included in my kit asmy back ground 4x6 matts. Then I added the peek-a-boos transparencies to givemy background an easy and pretty extra layer and pattern. I then used the October Afternoon Farmhouse “clothesline”paper and cut out the flags, and added pretty ribbon to string along the front of the tray.

The journaling card is from Prima and the background from Glitz Designs. The flowers are prima also. The key was given to me at CHA but can't remember what booth.

The poem on the upper right is from the Glitz Design peek-a-boo vintage blue collection.

You should try making a photo tray; it was fast and I think makes a great gift. One tip I can give you on the photo tray is to "pop" up your matted photos. Happy Scrapping.

Title Work

2012-01-14T04:45:00.022-06:00

Title Work

I love titles. They are all over – on billboards, on TV ads, on web pages and the list goes on and on. So one of the first things to catch my attention when I look at a scrapbook page is the title. Scrapbook page titles can be big or small; short or long, they can be aligned vertically, horizontally or anywhere in between! Titles can be created using a favorite font or made by using alpha elements included with the kit. I personally enjoy making photo titles as done on my Keith Urban layout below.

Let’s take a look at how these resourceful scrappers titled their layouts:

Dad’s My Coach by “Grandma Crys” (Digital Scrapbook Place member)

Credit: Digital Kits: Papers and elements from Nicole Young's Allstar Whimsy SVC, RedStarTag from Nicole Young's Sport’s Whimsy, RedGlitter from Nicole Young's Lost in Wonderland, all available at Digital Scrapbook Place.

Yuletide Cheer by Jenni (Digital Scrapbook Place member)

Credit: Digital Kits: January 2012 Club Digitall and Merry Moments Deluxe Word Art Set by Heidi Kuester, both available from Digital Scrapbook Place

First Daddy by Felynn (Digital Scrapbook Place Member)

First Day by Handkl (member of Digital Scrapbook Place Digital Elite Team)

Credit: Digital Kit: School Days Mega Kit (available at Digital Scrapbook Place)

By Jill W (Digital Scrapbook Place member)

Credit: Digital Kit: Mandee Page Kit by Marcee Duggar (Digital Scrarpbook Place)

By Jill W (Digital Scrapbook Place member)

Credit: Edith’s Diary by CarolAnn Gary (Digital Scrapbook Place)

I hope some of these titles have given you inspiration!! Enjoy your day!

Having fun with the January SFTIO Kit

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everybody!! It's time to reveal the very first kit of the new year and I must admit, I love the colors!!! This was such a pretty kit to work with. I love it, and I'm really excited about being on this team because it means I'll get to scrap more about me for a change! YAY!

Here are two of the 5 layouts I created using this fabulous kit! I'll be sure to share the rest later this week! What do you think? If you're thinking you need this kit, visit Scrapbooking From The Inside Out today to get yours ASAP!! You won't regret it.

One sketch...lots of pages

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000-06:00

What is one to give the 18 month old little girl who has everything? Answer--scrapbook pages! When my niece was born, I gave my sister-in-law a scrapbook full of pages just waiting for her to plop some pictures in. I guess I spoiled her, as she was so disappointed when my niece's 1st birthday rolled around and I didn't give her more pages. So, this was a perfect gift for Christmas. In fact, my sister-in-law said this was the best present ever! I think she may have been exaggerating a little.

However, I found myself with very little time in the weeks before Christmas to create all of the pages I wanted to. After all, I have my priorities---Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of Christmas must come first! So, I decided to design one page, create a sketch from it, and then base all of the other pages off that first one. I actually made 2 sketches and did 12 pages off of each, but I am going to save the other twelve to share with you on a rainy day (or a inspiration-less day, whichever comes first).

I made the pages very simple to save me time and to make it easier for my sister-in-law to use lots of photos.

Here are a few of my favorites...

one for winter

one for Valentine's Day

one for her birthday

one for a picture with Daddy

one with a patriotic theme

one for summer-

the title says "It's so HOT it will melt your popsicle"...

so I added a popsicle journaling spot

and one for Christmas

It really didn't take much time at all...just a few rerun episodes of Grey's Anatomy and I was done!

So, scrapbooks and scrapbook pages make a FANTASTIC present. Just be warned, if you give a scrapbook or scrapbook pages as a gift...they may want more!

~Kelly

Just a simple mini

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

This year, why not try and give a meaningful gift such as a mini album? Not only does a mini album make a great gift, it also can be appreciated by your loved ones because you took the time to make something from the heart! I usually give minis as Christmas gifts and this was a mini I gave to my grand-parents. I'm determine to do something different this year... maybe during the year I will learn to just do the minis throughout the year so I don't end up creating 5 mini albums in one month... Yep that's what I did during the first 3 weeks of December :) but it was well worth it.

Having said this, I wanted to take the time to share this album with you because you do not have to do a lot to make a mini album look attractive!

As you are creating your mini, don't forget about those fabulous tools you have on hand to help fill in spaces. Sometimes, a button is all you really need!

If you do decide to create a mini, Scrapbook Adhesive makes some fabulous adhesives to help speed your project along! Their Adhesive Sheets are great for adhering sheets of pattern paper onto your chipboard covers and their tape runner is great for holding down your paper embellishments or for adhering photos back to back throughout your mini album.

Patterned papers: Chipboard: Stickers: Crate Paper, Flowers: Zva Creative, Crystals: Pearls: Zva Creative, Ribbon: Webster's Pages, Metal Charm: Epiphany Crafts, Epoxy sticker: Epiphany Crafts, Stickpin: Bad Girls Kit Club, Button tool round 14: Epiphany Crafts, Circle tool round 14: Epiphany Crafts, Heart punch: Creative Memories, Adhesive Sheets: Tape runner: Scrapbook Adhesives, Glimmer Mist: Chalkboard Mist: Tattered Angels.

I hope you're having a fabulous day and please come back!
Nicole

Time Crunch

2012-01-07T00:50:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I received word that a dear friend was going through a rocky patch and I wanted to send her a quick note to let her know I was thinking about her. I was crunched for time that day and knew the next several days would be just as busy - so I created this very simple card (using very few supplies!) in minutes. I was able to create it in much less time than it would have taken me to drive to the store to pick one up!

When your time is at a premium, remember, the hand made card doesn't have to be super fancy to convey the message that you are thinking about someone!

Wishing you all a great day!

Birthday Inspiration

2012-01-06T01:01:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite places to visit for inspiration is Pinterest.

Why there and not just do a good ole fashioned Google Image search?

Because it is more organized. I like knowing the sites are reputable and that I am finding ideas from like minded individuals. Also? Google sometimes gives me sketchy images. Ha! And I love being able to repin the images for later use. Usually, I'll browse, pin and then go back.

I will also use Pinterest whenever I want to bookmark a site using the visual tool. That way, I'm saving it in my own boards but also sharing it with others. Can't keep the goodness to myself you know!

Today is my birthday... and I wanted to browse fun birthday ideas and inspiration to share with you. The source links will take you to the Pinterest page but you should be able to keep clicking to go to the actual web page the image is from. Hey... and happy pinning to you. :)

LOVED the cute idea for creating banners as the cake topper...

:Pinterest Source:

I'm always game for a cocktail and I LOVE this idea to put party sprinkles around the edge of the glass. How clever and fun!

:Pinterest Source:

Over the top? Maybe. But seeing this presentation, I am definitely thinking of some ways to replicate it in my own style. So lovely!

:Pinterest Source:

And what kind of post would this be if I didn't include a card! I am still loving this card made by Audrey Pettit that was in the July 2011 Card Corner Article.

:Source:

Speaking of which, make sure you check out the Card Corner article in our current issue. There are some pretty awesome techniques to be shared and beautiful cards to gaze at. Are you a card maker? Always dreamed of being published? Click here to view our current calls and submit! You never know. :)

~ Melissa

Card and tag ideas~

2012-01-05T05:29:00.009-06:00

Hi everyone~glad to be back and ready to get creative!!!! This is a tag set I did using the Just My style stamp set by Darkroom Door. I stamped the image on Kraft cardstock and then cut around it and adhered to the manila tag. Added some mists and some little extras and the girls are ready!!!

Here is another example using the same stamp set by Darkroom Door. Again stamping the image on Kraft cardstock and blocking it. Little extras are added and the girls are ready!!! These are a couple of quick and easy card and tag ideas~ hope you enjoyed them. See ya soon!!! by: C. Mercer

2012-01-03T02:19:00.000-06:00

For the new year I wanted to share this calendar that I created using SRM Stickers, My Mind's Eye papers and twine from the Twinery. I created unity throughout the calendar by using the same paper set on all the pages. I also used 3 squares - a photo, a calendar and a space for notes - on each page. (except one).

I didn't want every page to be the same though, so I varied the design of each page by sketching out the designs ahead of time. Finally, I added a sticker sentiment and some twine and/or ribbon to each page.

The base of each page is just plain cardstock so that it was easy to place the finished pages into my Bind it All and punch the holes for the bindings.

{twenty12, a minibook...}

2012-01-02T03:30:00.001-06:00

Happy new year to you all!!! May this year bring enormous happiness and good luck to you and your family!

And for todays crafty project share, I have a minibook I made...

I love the idea of making a minibook/album in January itself, with space ready for photos to be added throughout the year. I also added journaling spots, with some prompts, so that you can enter what is happening that month, while it is still fresh in your mind...

For the photos, I have made the mats slightly larger so that when you adhere a photo is will be matted by about a quarter inch all around. I jotted down the size of the photos to be inserted in pencil onto the mats itself. This way, you will know what size photos you will be needing for that month, and if needs to be a horizontal or a vertical shot and plan accordingly.

For this opening page, I included space for a family picture... A great way to start an album!

For the album cover, I cut very thin strips from patterned paper. About a quarter inch wide strips. I then spritzed them with some glimmer mist and adhered them onto cream cardstock. I also added some ink and stitching all around. And finally added the title numbers 2012...

I typed out the month titles in Photoshop and printed them onto a cardstock. I also printed the journaling spots off the computer.

And finally, before I gifted it, I tied a twine bow to keep the album shut... That twine bow turned out so pretty!!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.002-06:00

Are you ready to ring in the new? I certainly am!

I have always loved the feeling of a fresh start--a first day of school, a new notebook, or a new year on the calendar. Even when I scrapbook, I always start with a fresh white sheet of cardstock. There is just something about a blank slate to get the juices going.

We are starting 2012 with a fresh magazine filled with inspiration sure to rev up your scrapping engines. Take a peek at the January Issue here:

And for those of you with a digi or hybrid love, download this fabulous free kit from talented designer and ScrapStreet.com Magazine editor Katey or P'tit Studio Katia as she is known in digi circles. Our Katey is a tiny dynamo with tons of energy and creativity. She never fails to inspire me to try something new! Take a wander through her store for even more pretties.

Download {Here}

Please respect this generous gift and do not upload/share this kit. Friends are welcome to download it here for the next month. Thank you!

I raise my glass to you and yours! Here is to 2012 being your best year yet!

A New Year and A Challenge

2011-12-31T00:04:00.010-06:00

Are you shaking your head and thinking to yourself, "Where did the year go?" Well, that's what I've been doing for the past week or so.

A few years ago, my mom gave me a big box of journals she and my dad had kept for years and years. There are journals of every size and every color, the covers are getting tattered and torn, and the pages are yellowing. Some of the days events are written by mom, others by dad, and some days they both wrote a page or so. They wrote about things like the weather, who came to visit them, what my sisters and I and our families were doing, what they had for lunch or dinner, what they were thankful for and sometimes they wrote interesting tidbits they'd heard on the radio or read in a magazine. It has been so much fun to read through the diaries ... to get a glimpse in to their daily lives ... to read what they felt was important enough to record. Now that they are both gone, the diaries mean even more to me.

Last January 1 I started to journal my life by taking a photo a day. I also recorded little tidbits with the photos. I posted them in my Facebook photo album and was able to take photos for 69 days in a row, but unfortunately, I stopped the project because my mom became very ill. Plain and simple, I just didn't take the time to do it.

With a new year rolling around, I'm going to try the challenge again ... Because even though I only have 69 days of photos to look back on from last year, it amazed me how many of the "little" things I had forgotten about until I saw the photos and read my journaling again (when I was preparing for this blog post).

Will you challenge yourself to take a photo a day in 2012? If not a photo a day, perhaps a photo a week? I'm certain, that like me, at some point you will look back on your photo journaling journey and smile, and you'll be thankful you took the time to snap a photo and jot down the happenings of your day(s).

Wishing you all a blessed 2012!!!

Mixed Media Canvas

2011-12-29T09:28:00.005-06:00

Now that we are heading toward the New Year, my mind goes directly to my resolutions. One of my resolutions is to clean up, simplify and make my scrap room pretty. I think I get more creative when my surroundings are pleasant and clean. So how about a little wall art?

I made these four "seasonal" 4x6 canvas art and left room for litle wallet size photos. I will line them up on my wall and not only have something I made to look at but also photos that I cherish.

I have Spring, Summer Fall and Winter. I used the Blick Studio stretched canvas on a 4x6 wood frame. I first painted the canvas then I started layering stencils, paper, foam stamps, and rubons.

I made these little tags to mount my photos and I matched them to the canvas.

These dont take a lot of time because they are 4x6, and you can make them any theme you want. For instance how about, Peace, Love, Happiness, and Art? That is my wish for the New Year.

L is for Letterpress!

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. It's so fun to watch my kids get excited when they see all the toys Santa brought them. They are still at that age when Christmas is so magical. I remember those days and I love being able to relive them through my kids.

I got a toy for Christmas, too. It's the L Letterpress kit by Lifestyle Crafts. This cool tool allows you to do letterpress with your die cut machine. I used my Cuttlebug, but I think it works in most machines. The hubby bought mine from Amazon, but I think you can get them at scrapbook stores, too.

I've only had the opportunity to use it a few times, but so far I am "impressed." (Ha ha, get it? Impressed!) I had to play with it a little to get the image to come out the way I like it. I plan to play with it a little more and give a review of it later.

Here are a couple card I made with my new toy:

Recipe: Paper: Lifestyle Crafts, Ink: Lifestyle Crafts, Memento, Stamp: Joy's Life, Tools: L Letterpress, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Embellishments: gems, pleated ribbon.

Recipe: Paper: Lifestyle Crafts, Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny, Stamp: Joy's Life, Ink: Lifestyle Crafts, Stampin' Up!, Tools: L Letterpress, Embellishments: Flowersoft, snowflakes, ribbon.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

A very Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at ScrapStreet!

We hope your holiday is full of good company, good food, peace, love and joy.

In the spirit of this wonderful holiday, I wanted to share a super clean and simple card I made using the most awesome electronic cutting machine known to mankind. Okay. That is my own opinion. ScrapStreet does not endorse my opinion but they know full well how much I love my Silhouette SD. (The Cameo is coming for my birthday. Yay!)

So here we go...

One of the things that gets me every year is the need to make Christmas Cards. I refuse to buy them because I've got so much crap... I mean... beautiful things to make my own. The issue is getting my tush in gear and chaining myself to the crafty table and make them. You wouldn't think that would be a difficult thing. Considering how much I love paper crafting and making cards. But, for whatever reason, I always find other things to make or do around the house and then end up scrambling the week of Christmas. *sigh*

I decided to do one style of card this year. I've got my lovely Silhouette SD, so why not use it to it's full advantage? I can mass cut and mass produce! In my head I thought, "I'll just cut out a bunch of snowflakes, do a clean and simple card, and be good to go!" But once I got started, I thought of other things to do to the card. I wanted to add ribbon and bling and strips and on and on and on and on. STOP! Eek! Why didn't this mojo appear at the beginning of December??? Nonetheless, I did end up making several cards and thought I'd share with you what I did because I love them. They are SUPER simple cards. Seriously.

For the snowflake, I used the 1_snowflake_C00756_20509 shape from the Silhouette library. I cut them at about a 4" diameter.

After cutting, a bottle of pretty something caught my eye. Hmmm... Every snowflake needs sparkle don't you think?

Yep. I busted open that Glimmer Glam and painted some frosting on each snowflake. LOVE the sparkle it gave the Lily Bee paper.

Because I'm impatient, I used my heat gun to dry up the Glam paint. Worked like a charm. To create a design showcasing white space, I adhered the snowflake off center.

Used the rub-ons from the Christmas Town collection by Lily Bee (same collection as the patterned paper) and added the sentiment.

To complete the look, I added a little pearl to the center of each snowflake.

And wah lah... a super simple Christmas card.

And lots of them.

You probably have your cards all done and sent by now so just store this for next year. :)

Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

- Melissa E.

Chalk one up!

2011-12-24T06:00:00.005-06:00

Today I want to introduce you to something totally different. Loose power chalk. Chalk-Ah-Lot Products sells loose power chalk and if you aren’t familiar with it, you soon will be. This stuff is so wonderful for crafters and sure to be seen as a crafting staple.

There are 3 types of power chalks:

Powder

These colors contain an additive which allows different shades to be created. The degree of change depends on the amount of chalk and pressure applied. Eight of the powder colors contain an additive which creates special effects, which includes wonderful streaks of color throughout your design.

Fluorescent

These colors are very bright brilliant colors.

Metallic

These colors provide a rich dazzle and shine. Stardust, our most popular metallic adds a special shimmer to any design. It can be added to any area or used to cover your whole design and give luster to the entire piece of art.

Power Chalk contains an additive which makes the chalk stay on the paper. A fixative is not required when using the powder and dust colors.

The Metallic Chalk and Fluorescent Chalk do not contain the same additive as the powder chalk, therefore it does not require a fixative be used either over, under, or mixed in with it.

There are so many colors to choose from that you may want to pick a variety to play with. This is a picture of all the colors which I happen to have. Can you even believe the selection? Check them out yourself at the website. You get a very generous amount in each container.

The Stardust color (which is a metallic chalk) can also be used to create many metallic colors. By mixing 1 part Stardust with 2 parts of any powder, dust or florescent color, you can create a rainbow of metallic colors. Stardust can also enhance any of your matte pigment inks by lightly applying Stardust over the stamped image with a cotton ball while the ink is still wet. This will change any of your matte color pigment ink pads to a rich metallic color.

This is a close up to show you the texture. Very fine and powdery.

Here are just a few ideas about the mediums you can mix with the chalks: Elmer’s glue (white or clear), acrylic pants, Mod Podge, Ranger Inkssentials glossy accent or crackle accent, nail polish, bubble solutions... the ideas are endless. Visit Buzz N Magic Powdered Chalk for additional details. Beginning in January visit the Chalk-Ah-Lot Cafe blog for challenges and great prizes.

Happy Holidays!

Pinecones for your tree

2011-12-22T03:00:00.000-06:00

Even if the gift inside the box is store-bought, having a little home-made topper can make a good present, extra-special. These pinecone ornaments are just perfect for that. I learned to make them ages ago, and decided to add a few new ones to my collection this year. For the ornament above, I used paper from Bella Blvd.'s new Winter Wonder collection, called Ski Slopes.

To make your own, you will need...

-a small styrofoam egg

-pins

-paper (or ribbon) cut into 1" wide strips, then cut into 1 1/2" long

pieces. You will use about six, 1 inch strips.

-ribbon

-tacky glue

Fold the rectangles of paper to a point (not true triangles), as seen in the photo. Place each folded paper onto the egg, pinning at the two top corners.

The key to getting the pinecone shape started, is to pin 3 of the folded rectangles so their bottom points meet at the bottom of the egg (you can see this in the picture below). Then, you just keep going around pinning the pieces at each corner, covering the pins of the row underneath as you go.

Once you get to the top, slide the pins under the fold (see below).

Loop some ribbon on a pin (I used a pearl-topped headpin for this), making your first loop a big one so you can use it for hanging on the tree. Dip the pin in some tacky glue before sticking it into the top of the pinecone.

Here are a few I made with ribbon. They are hanging on the tree, just ready and waiting if I need to attach them to the top of a package.

I hope you have all of your shopping done and can take some time to sit back and relish in some holiday memories as they happen. Make sure you get some photos too!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

An oldie but goodie~

2011-12-20T07:09:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone~here is an oldie but goodie for sure!!! Remember foo-fa-la by Autumn Leaves? I always loved this paper but it took me three years and counting to use it. That is the way it happens sometimes, the paper you really like, you save it and it stays in a cabinet for no one to see.

Here is a closeup of the banner under the photo. I just cut them all different sizes and machine sewed them under the picture. The flower is by Prima and the title is by American Crafts. Here is wishing you all have a wonderful Holiday and the next time you will hear from me, it will be 2012!!!! So until then ~

Tis the season

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

This season, why not try and use up those pretty holiday scrappy goodies to wrap your personal gifts in! With a little bit of paper, die cuts, bling, charms and twine, you could make those presents extra festive! I am loving the new holiday papers and embellishments by Creative Memories!! If you feel you need this collection, simply go to Creative Memories's website and get yours today!

Supplies used: Papers: Die cuts: Stickers: Creative Memories, Crystals: Zva Creative, Twine: Pink Paislee, Metal Charm: Epiphany Crafts, Button made with Button made with EC Button Studio Round 14”, Shape Studio Tool Round 14, Adhesives: Creative Memories.

Hope you're getting ready for the holiday season because it's coming!

-Nicole

Book Gift Idea

2011-12-18T00:01:00.014-06:00

One week from today is Christmas! Are you scratching your head for a gift idea? This hand made book would be great for last minute gift giving.

Here's a peak at the finished project

And a quick overview of how I created it -

I used Corel PSP X2 to create the pages for the address book (hint: save the file, because by making only a few minor changes, you can use the template for lots of different types of books).

All of the pages are printed on heavy weight card stock. The alpha pages are printed on off white card stock and the address pages are printed on white card stock.

I started off with heavyweight cardboard chipboard measuring 6.25W x 5H. I cut out 2 pieces of scrapbook paper (Bo-Bunny paper, from the Enchanted collection) to cover the front cover - then repeated the process for the back cover of the book. (The card stock pages are just a tad smaller than the chipboard covers).

I put both covers under something flat and heavy and let them set overnight.

You can see in the photo below, the scrapbook paper is not setting perfectly on the chipboard. That can be fixed easily by trimming off any excess (I use small scissors) and sanding down all of the edges (which also needs to be done for inking purposes in a later step).

Here is what the cover looks like after I've trimmed and sanded it down

I then inked all of the edges of the chipboard and inked slightly on to the edge of paper with Tim Holtz Distress Ink (I used Black Soot)

Time to punch the holes, put the book together and add the spiral to the top. I use the We R Memory Keepers Cinch binding machine, however, if you do not have one, you can punch holes and use book rings to secure the book together.

I've added a Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Word key to the spiral (I've found it is easier to add any hanging embellishments before ribbons are tied on) and trimmed off excess ribbon.

One of my favorite parts of making these books is digging through my ribbon stash to find just the right ribbons to tie on to the spirals. Using ribbons made of different materials, different widths and patterns gives a unique look to each book.

Trim the ribbons to the desired length and you are done!!!

I hope you are able to use this as inspiration! If not for Christmas, for any personal, handmade gift to give to someone special throughout the year!

(PS - more book projects and information is available on My BLOG)

Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday!!!

A Christmas Freebie

2011-12-17T02:00:00.000-06:00

For all our blog followers and magzine readers, a little add on kit by P'tit Studio Katia to the kit A Merryful Season.

A great kit for your holiday scrapping and which you can find here.

We hope you enjoy this freebie available for a week or so.
Download here and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Holiday layouts by Nicole Martel

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone, Nicole here. Today I would like to share two Holiday layouts using pictures from last year. I'm not sure about you all, but I am not ready for the holidays! For my first layout, I decided to use a variety of products using our most recent collections. I love how this layout turned out. Notice how I sprayed snow flakes in the background using some chalkboard mists? They are subtle but they are there!

Here are a few close ups:

Supplies used:
Glitz Design Papers "Beautiful Dreamer Damask", "Vintage Blue Floral", and "Beautiful Dreamer Polka".
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Big Rhinestones.
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" and "Vintage Blue" Word Epoxy Stickers.

Other: Gingerbread man punch: Creative Memories
Screen: Chalkboard mists: Glimmer mist: Tattered Angels
Thickers: American Crafts
Pen: Adhesives: Corner rounder: Creative Memories.

And for my next layout, I used all products from the "Vintage Blue" collection. I really love how this one turned out.

Supplies used:
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Papers.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Big Rhinestones.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Epoxy word stickers.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Cardstock Stickers.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Trims.

Other:
Pen: Corner rounder: Heart punch: Adhesives: Creative Memories.
Studio Button Tool Round 14: Epiphany Crafts.

I hope that you enjoyed your visit today. Please come back!

Scrapbooking our Pets

2011-12-15T01:45:00.002-06:00

I'm going to let my journaling do the talking with this blog post. Just click on the photo and it should enlarge enough for you to read.

Mistable flowers from Pink Paislee are perfect to work with and add your own color.

All supplies, except the alphabet, are from the December kit Uncertainty at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

It still saddens me when I see photos of Midge but I'm also finding that the sadness goes away a bit quicker now. I still long to see her walking around the condo but I also know she is in a better place and the past 15 years were such a precious gift to have her. This is when I'm so thankful for our approach to scrapbooking at SFTIO. To combine art and creating with the journaling process is extremely therapeutic for me.

Any other pet lovers out there? What have you done to give your little furball dedication?

hugs,

Melissa

Easy Greeting Tag for Beginners

2011-12-14T00:01:00.002-06:00

I love coming to the ScrapStreet blog and seeing the wonderfully creative Holiday cards being showcased!

I am a "newbie" when it comes to paper creations - it wasn't until a month or so ago I really started to dive in to the world of paper crafting ... so I feel like I have a lot to learn and a long way to go before I'll be able to create really unique and beautiful paper projects, but I wanted to create some sort of Holiday greeting to send to our family and friends this year. This is what I came up with:

I purchased white tags from my local craft store and since I've been engulfed in the world of digi for so long, I felt very comfortable using software (Corel) to create a greeting to print out on the tags. You could also stamp a greeting or saying on the tags ...

Once I had printed up a dozen or so tags, I inked each one with Tim Holtz Distress Ink with Peeled Paint (green), Vintage Photo (brown) and Worn Lipstick (pink).

I used Tim Holtz Grunge Snowflake stamps to stamp randomly along the edges and then used Tim Holtz Vintage Photo embossing powder.

I had some brown envelopes tucked away, and used one of the larger Grunge Snowflake stamps on the corner and embossed it with Antiquities embossing powder.

I found a piece of bright green snowflake ribbon that I wanted to use, but it was way too bright, so I distressed it with Vintage Photo distressing ink (I love that stuff!)

These were easy to create and each one is unique ... and I hope other paper crafting "newbies" can use this idea to create greeting tags of their own!!

Happy Hollydays!!

2011-12-13T08:55:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I really wanted to dazzle all of you with a project I am working on for teacher's gifts, but as you all know, it's a busy time of year and I simply didn't have time to complete it before today's post. Instead, I am posting this holiday card.

I like the idea of juxtaposing images to look like they are coming off the page. It's like Frosty is popping up from the lower left corner onto the card to wish you Happy Hollydays!!

To make this card, I stamped the face from Peachy Keen stamps onto a piece of white cardstock, cut it out with a circle punch and colored his cheeks with a Tombow marker.. I cut a second circle slightly larger than the first. I used an Exacto knife for the hat and the holly was created with my Silhouette. I positioned everything on the card just the way I wanted it and proceeded to glue it onto the base. I cut off the part of the circle that was hanging off the page. Then I embellished Frosty with a piece of ribbon for a scarf and gave him some arms made of twine. The sign is made with a sentiment from Joy's Life. He's no fancy schmancy teacher's gift, but I still think he came out cute.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I love this time of year, even though it's busy, busy, BUSY!

Last minute gift tags

2011-12-12T07:37:00.002-06:00

I never buy gift tags. I always think to myself that I am going to make them, and sometimes I do, but last year I ended up writing the to and from on the gifts in sharpie marker. No lie!

So, this year I whipped up these babies. I actually had most of the stuff all ready because I had made extra embellishments for the advent calendar and gift wrap projects that I did earlier this month. I cut the tags on my cricut. Easy peasy! I just told it to cut a bunch of them, and then walked away to do other stuff. (You will notice that some of these tags are different sizes; I trimmed some of them to make them fit in the pockets of my advent calendar, then decided not to use them in the advent calendar.) After they were cut, I matted them on patterned paper. Although thinking back, it probably would have been even easier to have the cricut cut the shadow for me, but I'm still kind of a cricut novice, so I didn't think of that until I was almost done.

I also had stamped a bunch of these adorable critters to use with the gift wrap project. When I am stamping and coloring, I often find it easy to do multiples. They had been colored in and stickled already, I just had to cut them out. Some of the tags I stamped onto directly - that saves time with the cutting out!

And for the tags that I didn't have stamped images for? I used some leftover die cuts and stickers! voila! I didn't bother with the 'to' and 'from' because I don't have a stamp for that, and I didn't feel like adding all those tiny alphas, easier to just write it in when Im ready.

I tied the ribbon on while I was watching tv one night because I don't plan on having a place to tie the tags onto the gifts.

Before and After Gift Bag

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-06:00

If you are like me, you don't like to throw away those cute shopping bags that stores give you this time of year. The problem is, I don't want the store's GIANT logo across the bag if I am going to give it to someone else (especially if the gift inside isn't from that store). So, I give you before and after.

First, I used some Distress Inks to "grunge" up the bag a little big. The white was just a little too stark for the images I was going to be adding. I then covered the logo with hunter green cardstock that I punched with a border punch on all 4 sides (this is an adorable Fiskars border punch with a row of evergreens. It's from last year's Limited Winter Edition.). I used some white dabber paint to make snow on the trees. Lastly, I used Versamark ink to stamp on some shadow-effect snowflakes.

I cut out some images from an old Die Cuts with A View Christmas pack. I cut out each image twice and trimmed one. With some pop-dots underneath, I raised the smaller image and affixed it to the larger one to give it a shadow-box effect. I dabbed on some white paint around all of the edge and embellished with Stickles. Everything looks better with some Stickles, don't you think?

Now, here's wishing I can find a great gift to put inside!

{holiday gift tags...}

2011-12-07T05:49:00.000-06:00

The holidays are right here, and the pressure is high to get everything done. Are you making handmade gifts this year? I wish I could, but I always run short of time (I have two little girls you know)! But I do try to make something handmade for everyone, maybe a card or a gift tag. And just when I sit down to create something, due to the stress of this season, I always seem to lack ideas. Thats why I love the blogs I follow, I can always find inspiration there.
Today for your inspiration I have this hybrid gift tag card to share...

To make this card, in Photoshop, I layered the sentiment onto the ornament and added a twine bow. I then printed this along with the light green background onto a white cardstock. Trimmed the card to size, and added a satin bow. And called that done.

Here is hoping that all of you get your projects done quickly and easily this season!

Supplies used:

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5

Sentiment, Ornament: Creativity by Crystal

Twine bow: Splendid Fiins

Cardstock: Wassau

Ribbon: American Crafts

Christmas Journal~

2011-12-06T06:00:00.003-06:00

Everyone is talking about the December Daily with Ali Edwards { fabulous}~well this is my version. It is a composition notebook covered with sticky back canvas. I used the November add on kit by The Paper Bakery to make mine. I have needed a place to keep track of sizes of feet , little peeps and what I have bought in previous years~such as doll cloths, build~a~bear outfits and such. I think this will work perfect!!!

The kit came with all of these cool embellishments. So it was easy to put a pocket on the inside for receipts just in case I have to do a return.

Hope you enjoyed this journal and I will see ya soon!!!! by: C. Mercer

Christmas card

2011-12-05T07:17:00.002-06:00

With all the craziness of the holidays, I thought I would share something simple today: a card from a sketch.

I was inspired to make this card from mostly this sketch from My Mind's Eye, and a challenge to use these accordion flowers. However, I ended up combining a TON of challenges. I don't do that often anymore, but I always make notes about challenges when I see them, and then we I go to scrap I look through them for inspiration. A fun little game

that I play, is to see how many challenges I can stuff onto one card. I liked up NINE challenges for this card, but there were a few more that I just ran out of time for. (I'm not so great at keeping track of the deadlines, because I do it more for the challenge and inspiration than for the chance to win something.)

Anyway, here is the card. All the patterned papers are My Mind's Eye Holly Jolly. The sentiment sticker is SRM. Also: Twinery twine, American crafts cardstock, favorite findings buttons, sizzix embossing folder, fiskars deco scissors.

Here is the sketch:

There is still plenty of time to enter this sketch challenge, if you want. It's HERE.

Scrapping the Season

2011-12-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

I am not sure about your neck of the woods, but where I live, the weather has been wonky. We had snow in October and 60 degree days this past week! That leaves me scrapping last year's December's photos! I found these cute shots of my son and spent a few seconds wondering why I took them. Then I remembered how funny I thought it was that he would not roll up the brim of his hat. Since it was a size too large, it would hang over his eyes. He would have to lift his head to see. I happened to get that on film.

It is one of the cute, yet not-really important moments I needed to capture. Because their childhood is filled with them. My life contains a billion of those times, those little stories I might forget in a week. Except that now I will be able to look back and remember.

To create the layout, I added bits and pieces throughout, focusing on the chipboard elements. I love to used mixed fonts and colors for my title work. Creating the banner gives in a bit of a curve.

I used the yummy Peppermint collection from Crate Paper...perfect for those winter days. Hopefully, I will get some of those THIS year!

Learn how to make the perfect bow

2011-12-03T07:59:00.000-06:00

Hello ladies! Today I would like to share with you an easy way to create a beautiful bow for your projects. I really love this layout and I think the bow really makes the layout...

Isn't that bow gorgeous? Would you like to know how to make a perfect bow of your own? Well, I'm going to give you tips on how to make one of your own!

First staple the ribbon below your photo at each end leaving plenty of ribbon hanging to create the bow.

Then pull the right side of the ribbon over to the left side of the layout and create a loop. Staple the loop to hold the ribbon in place.
Then tie your bow! The staples help hold the shape of the ribbon so that you can tug the bow easily!
Products Used:
Patterned Paper: G.C.D Studios (Elementary My Dear)and (FunHouse).
Other: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Chipboard: Sticker alphas: Bella Blvd., Ribbon: Webster's Pages, Word sticker: Cosmo Cricket, Corner rounder: Heart punch: Pen: Adhesives: Creative Memories.

Holiday Cards, a Blog Hop and a Giveaway!!

2011-12-02T04:30:00.000-06:00

Need a little Holiday card inspiration? Want to win some stamps, Cricut cartridges or other goodies? There's an app for that. Okay, it's not really an app. It's a blog hop and you're invited to attend!! The hop is today, (Friday, Dec.2) and starts at www.JoysLife.com.

The hop features holiday cards by the Joy's Life Design Team using the new Wintery Puns stamp set from Joy's Life. You will have an opportunity to enter to win the stamp set, as well as other stamps and goodies. Here is a sneak peak of one of the cards in the hop.

Feel free to join us at www.JoysLife.com, where the hop starts. Here is a list of all the participants in order:

Joy: http://joyslife.com/
Amanda: http://www.whiteruffles.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://anniebeescraftroom.blogspot.com/
Annette: http://www.aspoonfullofsugarcrafts.blogspot.com/ (That's me)
Christine: http://www.stampynwifesspace.blogspot.com/
Jennie: http://earthyscrap.blogspot.com/
Maria: http://joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/
Martha: http://pattisscrapingtime.blogspot.com/
Melisa: http://melisascraftycreations.blogspot.com/
Stacey: http://staceyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Susie: http://www.thedieshaveit.com/
Tracy http://www.thepickledowl.blogspot.com/

Welcome to December!

2011-11-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

Howdy Scrappers!

Are you ready to take a few quiet moments out of the holiday rush for some scrappy inspiration? We have a new issue of GingerScrapsStreet Magazine for you! Step inside the pages and enjoy ideas for your holiday scrapping and so much more!

And after you get that mojo started, head over to Memorie Creations the inspiring blog talented designer Annlies de Zeeuw. Annlies is the force behind MC Designs who gifted all of our readers this fun holiday kit. She has a bold and colorful style with lots of cool creatures in her kits. You will definitely want to see more!

Go ahead and download it today! {download}
Please respect this generous gift and do not upload/share this kit. Friends are welcome to download it here for the next month. Thank you!

Are you feeling ready to scrap? Check out our current calls! We definitely want to see what you are creating. Happy Holidays!

Acrylic Albums - Some Ideas

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever made an acrylic album? If not, have you wanted to? Well, I thought I would show you some pastacrylic albums that I have made. It’skind of tough to get a good photo of an acrylic album because after all theyare see-through. But here are somephotos of albums I have made and the many techniques you can use on acrylic.

Thought I would start off with a little Holiday spirit! The cover is a snowflake pattern while therest of the album is chipboard. I wantedthe cover to be festive but also to “feel” like winter; so I added a snowmanand some more snowflakes to the album. In order to enhance the winter feel I added sparkly glitter to theacrylic cover. I think that by addingthe glitter to the cover it makes the whole album look frosty.

Here is another album with an acrylic cover. On this album I wanted to soften the edges ofthe “present” to bring the eye to the title. So I added white paint and sponged it on.

One thing you have to be careful of when using acrylic is toremember it is see through. So whateveryou have on the front – you will be able to see from the back. In this case If I had not put a strip ofcardstock with poinsettia’s on the back of the front page – you would have seenthe back of the “jolly” title from the front, and that would not be pretty.

Now in my beach album example the whole album was acrylic soI had to be careful with each page. Iwanted cohesiveness throughout the album and keep up with the beach theme. In this example I used sand that came in a bottleand mixed in with glue. The sand was great to use because all you see is sandon the back of the acrylic page showing through. In this sample I also used transparencies tocover some of the pages.

In my last example I wanted to emphasize to think outsidethe box. No one said there were rulesabout what you can put on your album. Inthis case I used a wood miniature window frame and a metal door handle. I also stamped with stazon and used rub-ons.

The albums that I used above are from Clearscraps and MyLittle Yellow Bicycle. There are lots ofchoices as to the shape of your album - so get started and start playing with acrylic. If you want to ease into it, just start offwith an acrylic cover.

Happy Scrappin.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my dad's birthday so I just want to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

I always like to browse the galleries to gain ideas for masculine birthday cards. What I'm finding more and more, however, is the brilliant use of bright and unexpected colors on this "man" cards. I kind of like that. I mean, who invented the whole concept that the cutesy bright colors have to be female and the bold and neutral colors had to be male. I say, let's not conform to this nonsense and break the "rules"!

Are you with me???

As I browsed the gallery at Two Peas in a Bucket the other day I found two cards that stood out to me. Both are meant for dad and I love them.

By Elizabeth Cooper

:Click here to see the card in the gallery:

(Psst... she even added a butterfly! Elizabeth is truly a rule breaker.)

By Kimberly Neddo

:Click here to see the card in the gallery:

ADORABLE aren't they? Yet I love the brilliance of design that both women used. Elizabeth backed her bright colors with a strong neutral color and Kimberly's card has bold, lines that exude a manliness.

I dare you to go beyond the safety zone of blue, browns and earthy tones for those men. Add a butterfly, some reds and, heck, even some BLING! You can do it. :)

hugs,

Melissa

Glitz+Epiphany Crafts=Awesome!

2011-11-28T05:42:00.000-06:00

I really love using Epiphany Craft's round tools. For this layout, I used the Round Tool 14 and their adorable metal charms! If you don't own any of their products, you're missing out! When I'm low on embellishments or I'm missing something... I will grab my tools and embellies by Epiphany Crafts to help add that certain "wow" to my projects!

Tip: Use foam squares to hold your charm in place and insert a pin through the loop into a flower to make it look like the pin is holding the charm into place.

Epiphany Crafts Supplies:
Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Tool Round 14
Epiphany Crafts Metal Charms

Other:
Glitz Design Vintage Blue, Beautiful Dreamer and Dancin in sunshine Papers.
Glitz Design Vintage Blue- Glitzers
Glitz Design Vintage Blue- Giant Rhinestones
Glitz Design Vintage Blue- Epoxy Word Stickers
Glitz Design Vintage Blue- Trims
Glitz Design Dancin in sunshine- Cardstock Stickers

Cardstock: Corner rounder: Pen:Creative Memories
Flower: Pin: Maya Road

2011-11-27T00:04:00.003-06:00

Holiday Time, Already!

It seems to me that time flies faster and faster with each passing year, and here it is, holiday season already! Every year I vow I won't go all out in decorating our home for Christmas. But it is just too difficult to figure out what to put out as I pull out box after box from our storage room! So, like usual, our home is brimming from top to bottom with lots of seasonal decorations!

A few years ago I decided to start taking photos of the different items throughout the house. I then create a digital scrapbook page with some of the photos. It is always fun to look back at the layouts to see just what sort of creative juices I had in past years while decorating for the holidays!

I hope these layouts have been an inspiration to you!! Wishing you and your family happy holiday decorating!!

Playing with screens

2011-11-26T07:17:00.000-06:00

This month, I had a blast playing with screens. They look so pretty in the background! For my first layout, I used a tree screen and mists (Dark Denim, Sun Sisters) and chalkboard mist (Cherry Cola) for my background. I think these colors together on the kraft cardstock looks amazing!

Need a fun button for your project? Simply spray some mist on cardstock, and use the Button Studio Round 20 Tool to create a funky button like I did. I love Epiphany Crafts' buttons!

For my next project, I decided to use my screen like a stamp. I soaked the Slate mist on the screen and then flipped it onto the cardstock. I think it adds to the vintage feel of this layout! I just love this one. As you can see, misting doesn't need to be complicated! It can be as simple as just spraying your screens and stamping them onto your projects. You don't need very much mist to make your layouts shine!

Here is an old layout of mine that I just love...I love using mist and screens to create my own unique background! I used glimmer mist (Slate, Burnt Red and Sunsisters).

And for my last layout, I used the Iron Works, Glimmer Screen and Chalkboard mist (Teal High Heel) and Glimmer mist (Tuscan Sun).

I hope you've enjoyed your visit and please come back!
-Nicole

Stamped gift set

2011-11-23T09:05:00.002-06:00

Last year I created this tutorial about a bunch of different ways to use stamps to make your Christmas cards special, while still affordable. Embossing, glossy accents, crackle accents, flock, glitter and stickles can be combined with stamps to add that extra special touch. In the tutorial I used the stamps on cards and can I just say - wow my card making has come a long way in a year! The techniques are still useful though and here I used them on tags, a gift box, wrapping paper and gift wrap.

The gift box is from a printable template from Wendy Bird Designs at A Cherry On Top. These templates are awesome because they are so easy to use. You don't need any special software, just print them on the back side of the paper that you want to use, cut them out and fold on the fold lines. You can also add digital papers and print them out hybrid. Here I printed on the back of the Imaginisce Jingle All the Way paper, then added some punched kraft paper, a layered sticker accent and some ribbon.

For the gift bag, I stamped a row of images with versamark ink. Then it wasnt dark enough for me, so I traced them with a fine brown pen. I colored in the one tree, just for interest, before adding the strip of papers and tying the top closed with a bow. The tag on this one has a reindeer with stickles on his nose and collar.

For the wrapping paper, I spread out the kraft wrapping paper and stamped the adorable little critters using versamark ink for a subtle effect. To make it easier, I arranged the 4 stamps on a large block, so I stamped all four at a time, and needed to repeat the pattern less often. Next I added some paper strips and a paper bow - who needs ribbon?! For the bow, I made a template for the loops, which you can see below. Then I copied it four times, and used glue dots to hold each loop together, and the two on each side to each other. Finally I used a strip of a contrasting paper to wrap around and hold all the loops together. The tails of the bow were just freehanded on some scrap paper. I used foam tape to adhere the bow to the package so that the bow didn't get too squished.

The penguin was stamped on white cardstock, then colored in. I then added stickles, glitter flock and glossy accents before fussy cutting it. I used more foam tape to adhere it to the tag. All the tags were cut with my Cricut. The letters are Lily Bee.

Last but not least, the tube is from SRM stickers. I filled it with layers of hot chocolate mix and crushed peppermint candies. I added some paper strips to the top, and stickers to the bottom and top. Then I added a candy cane and a ribbon, before tying on a tag. The tag features another SRM sticker, and a fussy cut Imaginisce stamped reindeer with a stickled nose and collar. Instructions are on the back of the tag.

Finally, here is the petal template for the bow. Yes, you can see the corner of a penguin stamp, this was a scrap that I had tested the stamp on, but all you really need is the outline.

2011-11-22T06:00:00.002-06:00

Can you tell I have Fall on my mind, really I have turkey on my mind!!! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves and pumpkins for sure!! I love to have plenty of these tag cards on hand to tie around a muffin or holiday breads. These are done with Pink Paisley pattern papers, Making Memories label at the botton corner and Epiphany Crafts rd 25 bubble cap.

These are made with October Afternoon pattern paper and Jenni Bowlin milk caps. The pumpkins are by Making Memories.

These are made from vintage clip art and October Afternoon pattern paper. I machine sewed around the clip art and then added it to the kraft cardstock. All of these cards were adhered with Helmar 450.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and "count your many blessings name them one by one"

See ya soon! by: C. Mercer

Thanksgiving Placecards

2011-11-21T08:16:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone!! On Thursday, those of us from the good 'ole U.S. of A. will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Personally, I have so much for which to be thankful. I am fortunate enough to be able to share my passion of papercrafting with all of you. I am fortunate enough to have a loving family and I am blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with some of them.

I have many, many more blessing in my life, but I chose to highlight those two examples because it represents the project I am sharing with you today -- Thanksgiving Place Cards.

Those of you with a Silhouette machine may recognize this image. It's the Free Shape of the Week. Just go to the digital download store and get your free image. If you don't have a Silhouette, don't fear. This is simple enough to do with scallop and circle punches.

In the original image, the turkey is holding a banner that reads "Eat Pie." I simply changed it to the names of my family members. I use dimensional stickers to pop up the turkey and the banner and adhered it onto a piece of kraft cardstock. I didn't want to fiddle with the eyes and beak, so I used a gel pen to make the eyes and hand cut the beak. Easy peasy.

Tip: Make sure your letters are wide enough to easily weed them out of the paper. Also make sure the name can fit across the banner. I started with the longest name (which happens to be mine).

I hope my U.S. friends have a blessed Thanksgiving, and all my international friends have a blessed week!!

Just a little something...

2011-11-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

During the holiday season I always think of people that I would like to show my appreciation to with a little gift, but my checkbook doesn't feel the same way. I realized I could make something, but it really needed to be something that was quick to make. What about TAGS! With the popularity of gift bags why not give tags? I know that I rarely gift wrap anymore because the bags are so convenient and truthfully I hate to gift wrap.

You can make tags for any occasion. Just because my examples are all Christmas doesn't mean you have to create Christmas tags too. A great plus about creating tags is that you can use your "leftover" goodies that you have been saving. If you are like me you save stuff thinking that at some point you will use that one sticker left on the sheet, or the goofy die cut flower that you have never been able to figure out what to do with.

Most of my tag that I'm sharing were done using digital stamps. Because I LOVE to color with my Copics most of my tags include a colored image. I also like to use Glossy Accents and Stickles to add sparkle and shine to my holiday tags so you will see these products throughout too. These tags feature stamps from Dilly Beans Stamps.

My next group of tags are a little more manly. The center one was created using a Tiddly Inks digital stamp, but the others were created using stickers and diecuts. You can create tags quickly if you use pre-made embellishments plus you still get that hand-made look. They make a perfect gift too.

My last three tags are snowmen. The middle snowman is a stamp from Hambo Stamps. The outside ones are from Dilly Beans Stamps. Most of my tag bases are cut out of card stock, however a few are Bazzill pre-made tags, which I love. You can easily save time by using a pre-made tag as a template to cut your tags from.

All you need is an hour or two and your leftover stash. You can create a bunch of one-of-a-kind tags to give just to show you care. Your checkbook will thank you for it!

2011-11-19T00:05:00.040-06:00

I have been busy trying my hand at making "Gratitude Journals" so have been looking on the internet for little quotes and snip its I can print on the journal pages ... Journals are a great way express your gratitude and share your blessings, and you can do the same through scrapbooking. Word art is sometimes offered with digital scrapbooking kits - and with the theme of gratitude, blessings and thanksgiving on my mind, I would like to share a few beautiful layouts my "scrappy" friends from Digital Scrapbook Place and I created using the Being Grateful Mega Kit.

Page created by HeatherH

Page created by Jenni

Page created by Terryl

Page created by AddieLee

Page created by me

The Being Grateful mega kit is filled with awesome word art and beautiful elements and backgrounds. You can check it out at DSP the BLOG

I hope your day is filled with blessings and treasures!!

A Big Thank You with a Mini Card

2011-11-18T03:00:00.001-06:00

Short on time? Make a short card! I was recently part of a mini-card swap and it got me thinking (sometimes that can be dangerous). But, it was so rewarding to get so many cards done in a short amount of time. And, I had to be extra-clever to see how many embellishments I could fit on such a small canvas. I wasn't going to make any Thanksgiving cards, but this mini one came together so quick and easy, it will be perfect to pop onto a bottle of wine. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it is only 2 inches x 2 inches in size. I used a small cornucopia Sizzix die and cut it on the fold (I placed the fold within the boundaries of the die so the fold doesn't get cut, thus creating the card). A little bling on the fruit (also a Sizzix die) and I am "thankful". Thankful that sometimes I can be satifsyingly quick!

I am thankful for many things...and I count Scrapstreet followers as one of those things to be thankful for. Thank you for the time you devote to commenting, the submissions you send us, and motivating us with your ideas. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Kelly

Designer Feature

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

We have so many talented designers that submit to the calls here at ScrapStreet. I know, personally, I am blown away each time I get a glimpse at my inbox of all the submissions. I thought it would be natural to feature some of our regular contributors on the blog. This first lady is someone I continually am inspired by. I subscribe to her blog and confess I get a bit giddy whenever I get a new email letting me know of a post - which is often! This gal is the blogging queen! Some of the things I love about her blog - her relational style of writing. I feel like she just invited me into her house to discuss paper crafting or to share her cute decor ideas. And, obviously, her talent. Wow oh wow!

This lovely lady is none other than Audrey Pettit. Sweet, humble, creative, beautiful and lovely are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when I think about Audrey. You have probably seen her work appear several times in ScrapStreet over the past year specifically in Card Corner. I love how she can take a technique or idea and translate it into something that makes sense and inspires. Audrey... are you embarrassed yet? ;) No? Okay I'll keep going then. I asked Audrey to pick a few of her favorite holiday projects to share with all of you on the blog today. I'm still drooling....

Supplies: Paper: Die Cuts with a View, Ink: Clearsnap, String: Kraft Outlet, Adhesive: Glue Arts, Other: vintage buttons, florist wire

Supplies: Paper, Cardstock, Chipboard, Alphabet: We R Memory Keepers, Raw Chipboard, String: Kraft Outlet, Seam Binding: 7 Gypsies, Ribbon: Stampin' Up!, Ink: Clearsnap, Adhesive: Glue Arts, Other: Hole Punch

Supplies: Paper: Webster's Pages, Ink: Stampin' Up!, String: Kraft Outlet, Tools: Stamps and Dies: Prickely Pear Rubber Stamps, Other: vintage buttons

Supplies: Paper: Donna Salazar (GCD Studios), Corrugated Board: Donna Salazar (Zutter), Glitter and Specialty Ink: Donna Salazar (Clearsnap),Embossing Ink,Glaze and Embossing Powder: Clearsnap, Tag, Bakers Twine: Kraft Outlet, Die Cut: Simple Stories, Brads: Making Memories, Tinsel, Picks, Berries, Lace:Webster's Pages,Seam Binding: 7Gypsies, Chenille Stems, Bells: Paper Bistro (Etsy), Floss: DMC, Silver Bells: Holly Pick, Buttons: Craft Supply,Other: raw chipboard, embossing tool, Tools: Border Punch: Stampin' Up!

Want more Audrey? Make sure you check the Card Corner article for our current issue and you can also visit her blog. She keeps it fresh, relevant and inspiring! All the things a blog should be.

Happy Creating!

Melissa

Don't forget

2011-11-13T09:14:00.000-06:00

November's a really tough month in my house. November 6, 2006 We lost someone really close to us... my Father-in-law. It was so sad and I miss him terribly. I've been wanting to create this layout for almost 5 years and could not bring myself to do it until just recently. I decided to write a letter to my Father-In-Law even though I cannot see or talk to him but I know he's always with me as my Guardian Angel. Atleast I hope so.

Here are a few close ups:

Supplies used:
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Patterned Papers.
Glitz Design "Vintage blue" Patterned Paper.
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Epoxy Words.
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Trims.
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Whatnots.
Glitz Design "Dance in sunshine" Glitzers.

Other:
Creative Memories Cardstock.
Creative Memories Punches, pen and adhesives.

For my second project, I decided to challenge myself by scrapping a large photo! I love this photo of my son and the "Vintage Blue"collection is a perfect match!

Here are a few close ups:

Products used:
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Patterned Papers.
Glitz Design "Vintage blue" Big Rhinestones.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Epoxy Words.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Trims.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Glitzers.
Glitz Design "Vintage Blue" Epoxy Stickers.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a good day and please come back to visit!

Nicole

Thanksgiving Layouts and MyLYB

2011-11-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

It’s November, fall is in the air and Thanksgiving is aroundthe corner. Even though I live in S.Florida, which means, I do not see the foliage change colors; I still can feelthe season changing. For me it is nottoo early to start thinking about my Thanksgiving layout.

One of my favorite paper companies and the collection that Iam using this year is the Hello Fall collection by My Little Yellow Bicycle. I usually go back and forth between vintageand cutesy, but for this thanksgiving layout it’s MLYB for me!

I thought the colors of this collection would be perfect formy thanksgiving photos. The entirecollection gives me that warm, cozy, homemade feeling. As you can see by my layout below, I addedsome family homemade favorites. Yep,pumpkin pie, and a side dish with yams, cinnamon and brown sugar. The pumpkinpie is my daughter’s favorite. My nephew and hubby go for the turkey. I personally like the yam side dish best.

This is an easy and quick layout to make. I decided to playcatch-up and used some photos from the past. But now that I am in the mood, I am going to make another layout and getready for my Thanksgiving Day photo shoot. Why don’t you do the same, and get a headstart on your layout before you have your Thanksgiving photo shoot!

Supply List from My Little Yellow Bicycle:

· Stick leaf pins

· Canvas border stickers

· 5 things envelope package

· Journaling cards

· Chipboard package

· Paper flower pack

· Walnut Knit paper

· Happy Fall paper

· Harvest Ring paper

· Bazzill Basics Paper – 1 each 12x12 Nutmeg andApricot

Instructions:

Nutmeg cardstock base paper 12x12

Cut Walnut Knit paper 11x11center on base 12x12

Cut strip from Happy Fall 1.5 x 12 and adhere approx 1 inch from left

Cut Harvest ring paper 8.5 x 8.5 and adhere to the walnut knit paper

Matte your photos with Apricot cardstock

Happy Thanksgiving!

{inspiration "nature", in photographs...}

2011-11-11T05:29:00.003-06:00

Photography is my new hobby. Well I guess all scrapbookers are photographers at some level. I am an amateur, and I love learning ways to improve my photos. I use a Canon T1i Rebel Camera. Nothing too fancy. There is a new T3i in the market already that is a much better model. But my husband and I love to rent lenses over a weekend, and shoot tons of photographs. That way we get to use a really expensive lens, and get great photographs, but not actually spend a lot of money...

Impressions

2011-11-10T07:00:00.005-06:00

This idea came to me while I was walking through the leaves. Why not take a leaf and create a background with it. I'm not talking about what the kids do with leaf rubbing, although that would work too. What I did was use a leaf as a stamp.

First I dug around to find a leaf that was a little damp still and I flattened it out between two magazines for about a half of hour. Then I grabbed my ink pad and went to work. I inked the leaf on scrap paper and then pressed it to my card stock over and over until I liked the look.

After inking and stamping many times I got the look I had in mind. There is no pattern it's just random, I decided to leave the pattern look to the paper.

I mounted it on paper, which is from my stash so unfortunately I cannot tell you who the manufacturer is. I like the touch of pink in the plaid paper and the brown in the paper coordinated with my leaf stamping.

Then I was ready to add my embellishments and stamped image. The stamp is from The Greeting Farm and was colored using Copic Markers. The leaves and acorn are all Sassafras Lass die cuts. I did end up turning the card to portrait because it just worked better when I started to add the finishing touches. I decided to keep it simple so I did "leaf" it alone after just a few embellishments.

Happy Stamping!

a quick card and technique

2011-11-09T09:58:00.004-06:00

Today I just want to quickly share a card that I created for the Graphic 45 thankful challenge- to make a thank you or thanksgiving card using Graphic 45. Since Graphic 45 doesnt really have a thanksgiving line, and I only had certain papers, I used a lot of techniques on this card to make it more autumn-y. I like playing with different techniques on cards, so I thought I would share a couple here.

First, notice that the top and bottom are the same striped paper, but I used a Clearsnap Design Adhesive. Design adhesives are like rub-ons of adhesive that you can use for glitter or flock or embossing powder. Here I used clear embossing powder on it. Then I misted it with some caramel Smooch spritz, to make the design stand out, but keep the warm orangey brown color scheme going.

For the flower, I used one of the new EK success dimensional punches -it's like a border punch, but it punches flower petals, then you roll it up to form a flower. I find that the base - the strip of paper that holds the flower petals together is a little too thick. My flowers seem to stand up WAY too high, so I trimmed it down a little with my paper trimmer. That makes the whole thing a little more delicate, but the flower has a lower profile, which I like. Also, the instructions (can you believe I actually read them?) said to punch two strips and glue them together with the petals offset to make the flower fuller. But when I tried that I thought the flower was TOO full, so this is just one punched 12inch strip. I contemplated adding a petal here or there to make it more full and uniform, but ended up deciding against it.

After rolling the flower there is of course, a hole in the middle. I decided to add just a small roll of paper to the center, to keep from adding too much more bulk, or any extra colors. When I went to roll the paper strips, I dropped one and it ended up looking a bit like the two curls there. I thought that was pretty cool, so I made two of them and added them as sort of leaves. I glued the ends around the base of the flower, and used a tiny bit of glossy accents applied with my finger to the base of the curls, to hold them to the card. I guess those might be called quilling, which I have been meaning to try, but I didnt use any tutorials or anything, just rolled a tight spiral and then let it out a little, playing with it until I got the look I wanted.

Celebrating Fall~

2011-11-08T05:54:00.000-06:00

Fall is in the air, that is for sure! We had our first frost last week so the garden is looking a bit burned. We are still green but the leaves are turning yellow. I love fall and I love to scrapbook fall~with that being said here are a few I have done in the last couple of weeks, celebrating fall!!

On this one I used Jillibean Soup, Epiphany Craft's Scallop bubble cap, Epiphany Craft's Oval bubble cap and Jenni Bowlin.

The lettering is by American Crafts and Cosmo Cricket. The paper colors are so perfect for these pumpkin photos~almost the same amazing colors!!! The embellishments are adhered with Helmar 450.

This one I used several different Jenni Bowlin pattern papers and made the border under the photos. The camera stamp is by Unity and the stars are by Epiphany Crafts. The embellishments are by Jenni Bowlin, Making Memories and Darkroon Door.

I live on a ranch in Texas and one of my favorite things to do, in the fall, is to take a ride around the ranch. You never know what you will see. Deer are moving at dusk and the wild hogs are settling in for the night {only to get back up and root up the pastures}. Enjoy the cool breeze and I'll

see ya soon!! by: C. Mercer

Falling Behind

2011-11-07T07:36:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I bet some of you read the title and thought this post was about getting behind in work. Some of you, however, know what falling behind means this time of year. On Sunday, those of us living in a time zone that recognizes Daylight Savings Time, had to set our clocks back an hour.

Personally, I find the whole time change confusing. To help me remember, I think of the phrase "Spring Ahead, Fall Behind." Fortunately, the fall time change isn't so bad because we feel like we're getting an extra hour of sleep, but in spring ... watch out!! We are all out of whack for at least a week because we "lose" an hour. It's like jet lag without the flying! (Okay, maybe not as bad as jet lag, but it's still an adjustment.)

By now, you're probably wondering why I'm writing about the time change on a scrapbook blog. Here's the correlation:

The sentiment is part of a stamp set with animal puns. I wanted to apply it in a different way. Instead of using a bee or any other kind of annoying buzzing creature, I thought outside the box and applied the sentiment to an alarm clock!

I like to take stamps and apply them in unique ways. It is a fun way to challenge myself, and it also adds an element of surprise to the card.

Now, it's your turn. Go ahead, tear down the side of that box and start thinking outside of it!

Recipe:
Stamps: Joy's Life
Ink: Memento
Embellishments: Brads
Tools: Silhouette die cutting machine

Happy DSD

2011-11-05T12:22:00.004-05:00

For those of you who do not walk the 'dark side' of scrapping, it is Digital Scrap Book Day today. All over the world digi scrappers are following blog trains for freebies from hundreds of talented designers and visiting digi scrap stores to ooh and ahh over the goodies in store sales.

Which of course explains why I am late posting this...lol! I confess I have been buying pretties to play and scrap with!

So without further ado, here is our little freebie from ScrapStreet.

A pretty, shabby chic quick page in PNG format. Just open it up in your software editor and pop your photo behind the frame, add your journaling and there you are!

Sorry link expired.

Tag...you're it!

2011-11-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

I don't make tags very often. In fact, I don't play tag very often either. But for this challenge...I got to "play" with tags. A tutorial over on the Fiskateer blog got me started punching, white-washing, layering, coloring, stringing, and adding ribbon, I just couldn't stop.

I started with a cereal box. 2 points for me for being "green"! I cut out 2 tag shapes and then glued on some punches (a Martha Stewart apple for one and a Fiskars "Oakey Dokey" leaf for the other). I glued these on and then started adding other items. I just started digging around through my stash of "scrap" and found all sorts of interesting things...felt circles, buttons, fringe, lace, twine. You know, all of those bits and pieces that are just too precious to throw away yet tend to sit in the bottom of your bin. Now is your chance to use that little 1 inch scrap of ribbon that you've been hoarding, I mean, saving. After I glued these items on, I added some water to some white acrylic paint and white-washed the whole tag. I wiped some off in some areas and left the white on in others.

After the tags dried, I added some color with paints, inks, oil pastels, stickles, and then added a simple phrase to each tag. I covered them all with Mod Podge and let them dry. They took a

L O N G time to dry. I had to practice my patience! Finally, I punched holes in the top and added more ribbon scraps. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I could make 1000 tags and still not put much of a dent in my ribbon scraps. Well, maybe a 1000 would make a dent.

A big "thank you" to Lead Fiskateer Cheryl for getting me to "play tag". Let's see your tags. These would be great to add to a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, don't you think?

November Kit Link

2011-11-02T15:34:00.005-05:00

We are so sorry that the link for Kim's beautiful free kit did not work. This has now been corrected and you can download Kim's Rejuvination kit. Thanks to those of you who kindly brought this to our attention. We hope you all enjoyed the articles here and here featuring Kim's products and enjoy scrapping with this kit.

Download here

{using templates...}

2011-11-02T00:15:00.000-05:00

Using templates is such an easy and quick way to get your scrapbooking done. Especially if you are pressed for time. Or if you are facing a scrappers block. Templates can spark your imagination and by adding your individual personality to it, you have a quick layout done, that is uniquely yours.

Meet today's layout. I am all into enlarged photos on my layout off late, and this one has a simple color scheme...

For this layout I used the new Go Big template by Splendid Fiins. Nisa has a couple more templates that will be available soon at Jessica Sprague's website. These templates are super simple to use, just drag your photo in and customize the details.

Supplies used:

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5

Template: Splendid Fiins

Papers: Splendid Fiins (very krafty)

Flag: Queen of Quirk

Fonts: CK Ali's hand

Scallop border: Carina Gardner

Happy November!

2011-10-31T19:51:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for the holiday season? When do you officially count the start? I used to think it began with Thanksgiving, but as the season got busier and busier I changed my mind. Now, Halloween kicks off the season for me. The bonus is I can start it with plenty of chocolate on hand.

Check out this treat! This gorgeous kit by the amazing KimB Designs is all yours for free this month. Aptly titled Rejuvination, it is a mini spa treatment just right for soothing your holiday season stress away. For more of Kim's kits, check out her KimB's Designs. And make sure you peek closely at her header--it totally makes me grin.

Downloads: {total}
Please respect this generous gift and do not upload/share this kit. Friends are welcome to download it here for the next month. Thank you!

Ready for more? We have the latest issue of GingerScrapsStreet Magazine for you! This issue offers ideas for tapping into the crafty goddess within. We hope you enjoy!

Feeling inspired to scrap? Check out our current calls HERE.

Have a most awesome November!

Time for MASKS!

2011-10-30T00:02:00.001-05:00

It is almost “Trick or Treat” time – so let’s talk about MASKS!! I’m not talking about trick or treat masks though … I’m a 100% digi-gal, and today am going to share with you how I use clipping masks (I use Corel PSP, but this would be the same premise if you are using other software).

The photo of my aunt and uncle on this layout is very formal, as is the flower cluster, the metal elements and the ribbon. Adding the mask to the background papers for this layout gave the page a bit of aged look to match the frame. I placed the mask on top of the burgundy colored background to help bring out the coloring of the flowers as well as the red tones in the frame.

(Digital Supplies: Kits –Refined Sentiment by Lauren Bavin and Maskee Page Sized Clipping Masks Set 6 by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software: Corel PSP X2)

Here is a page I created using a photo of our beautiful daughter in law – I felt that the colors of the elements worked well with the photo, however, the page seemed a bit washed out.

You can see that by adding a mask on the top of yellow background paper (over the bright orange paper) made all of the colors in the photo and the elements to pop right off of the page.

Digital Supplies: Kits –Merriment by Mandy King http://mybagofscraps.com/ and Maskee Large Quick Bits Set 2 by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software: Corel PSP X2 – Font: Pea Missy)

Masks can also be used on photos as well, like I did in this layout. After applying the mask to the photo, I placed it on top of the background paper layer. I wanted the large masked photo to be the center of attention on the page, but didn’t want many sharp lines on the page – and the mask was a perfect way to create the softness I was looking for.

(Digital Supplies: Kits – Hydrangea Valley XL Value Collection designed by Meryl Bartho and Maskee Large Quick Bits by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software: Corel PSP X2 – Font: Veranda)

Many online scrapbook stores sell masks; they come in oodles of shapes and sizes. Once you become familiar with how to apply them with your software, the sky is really the limit to how you can use them! Go ahead, try using a mask today!

Happy Halloween with LYB

2011-10-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

I made this Halloween Album using all LYB Booville halloween collection. The album is 4x9 and turned out very chunky. I love chunky albums. Even when I dont try to make my albums chunky, they turn out that way LOL.

Little Yellow Bicycle Halloween Album

I used the black chipboard pumpkin from LYB and sanded it - I wanted to make the pumpkin look more grunge versus shiney and new.

Most of the pages were made with the LYB envelopes. I placed large tags inside the pockets

This page has a "floating matte" I do this by adhering mounting tape on three sides and leaving the top open in order to slip tags behind the photo matte

I added some dimensional "googly" eyes that I bought from Michael's. I added the googly eyes because the dotted pattern paper made me think of monster eyes.

When you use an entire collection from a manufacturer it makes it sooo easy to design a layout or an album. The work of matching paper and embellishments is already done for you. I usually like to mix and match my embellies and paper from different manufacturers, but when you are pressed for time and need to make a project fairly quickly; go ahead and use a collection. While you are at it, you might as well plan on 2 projects because most likely you will have lots of embellishments left over from your embellishment packs. Happy Halloween!

{making pretty cards...}

2011-10-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Its Smitha here, to share some crafty thoughts with you today.

I have been making cards for over a year now. I am basically a scrapbooker at heart. But cardmaking is so much fun and I love that you can feel so creative and by making a quick card in under 15 minutes. Instant gratification.

And isn't it handy, that you always have a stack of cards on hand, ready to use! I love having cards with no sentiments, these are so versatile... perfect last minute gift!

Another staple in my card collection, 'thank you cards"

Now that my little girl is growing up and making friends of her own, I think I should be making more "happy birthday" cards :)

What is in your card collection? I would love to hear about it!

Missed Goals

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever caught yourself reminiscing back to your youth and becoming depressed, saddened or frustrated because you realized there were things you wanted to accomplish - but didn't? I accidentally went that direction not too long ago. I hate it when I let myself go there because I know that I should be appreciative of where I'm at. And no matter how many times I get irritated with myself, I can't go back and change it. All I can do is observe where I'm not right now and what can I do to improve or work with what I've got.

At Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, the October kit focuses on Achievement. I wanted to document that moment when I reminisce to the days of youthful amibition!

And because I wanted to still go easy on myself, I softened it up with flowers and ruffled ribbon. (Flowers are not included in the kit.)

And here is that wee list. Some of it includes current goals and one's that I had hoped to have reached by now and still haven't.

Thankfully, these are all things that I could still accomplish. The desire for an interior design degree is no longer there but has morphed into graphic design. Now someone tell to get off my hiney and get to working on that goal please!

How about you? Any goals you have that seem to be out of reach at the moment? Now go use your favorite hobby and creatively journal it.

- Melissa

Show me your splatter!

2011-10-26T02:00:00.000-05:00

Show me your splatter!
Show me your drips!
Show me your misty mess!
Impress me with your blobs!

Why?
I want to know how you can be inspired by art. Specifically, the work of abstract, expressionist, Jackson Pollock. He is famous for his techinque of pouring and dripping paint onto a canvas he had placed on the floor. Now, I'm not saying you need to put your card or layout on the floor (klutz that I am, I would have it all over the carpet), but let me see your take on this technique.

A quick internet search of Jackson Pollock will introduce you to his work and get you thinking. It worked for me...

Did you know that Distress Stains make great splats?

I splatted my cardstock with 3 different shades of Tim Holtz' Distress Stains, and then spritzed with water. I let it dry, and added these simple embellishments (a ribbon scrap, "celebrate", and a chipboard "u" that I "bling-ed" with gold glitter).

(inside: cuz baby you're a firework! Have a fabulous birthday!)

So, you've been inspired...what do you do now?

Submit your creation to Scrapstreet Magazine for my submission call. Graffiti, is a feature in each issue of Scrapstreet (actually, it will be a feature of Scrapstreet, this is my first request). I'll be highlighting a different artist or technique in each issue, and then asking you to show me how the artists can influence your scrappy creations. So, go! Now! I'm waiting....create, and then show me your splatter! Send it to submissions@scrapstreet.com. The deadline is midnight, October 30th. Please keep the image size around 600x600 pixels.

And, yes...your creation is good enough to be seen by others.

~Kelly

It's October 25th

2011-10-25T01:03:00.000-05:00

and you know what that means?

Only two more months until Christmas!!! I LOVE Christmas. While a lot of folks are loving Halloween and declaring it their favorite holiday, I'm standing on my tip toes, taking a glimpse over the horizon and I see my twinkly Christmas lights, sugar cookies and gingerbread men waving at me!

Call me crazy. I don't care. I adore the holiday season and how it rejuvenates that desire deep inside of me to value the relationships I have and be so very thankful for the blessings in my life.

With all that said, have you started your Christmas cards yet? I start mine in August. Not because I'm completely psycho but because I procrastinate and if I don't start in August, they will never get done.

I've got a special project to share with you today created by Anna Sigga. I received this lovely card and envelope in my email about a month ago and knew immediately I wanted to share it with you on the blog. Check it out:

Christmas Envelope Card by Anna Sigga

Supplies: Paper: 3ndypaper, Cardstock: American Crafts, Flower: Skrapp Og, Bling: Prima Marketing, Ink: Ranger Industries, Tools: Stamps: Basic Grey, Punch: EK Success

Anna has gone above and beyond and put together a visual step by step on how to construct your own envelope.

To see more of Anna's beautiful work, make sure you check out her blog here.

Now... get crack-a-lackin on your Christmas cards!!! You still have time to submit to our current calls for Card Corner right now. Check them out below:

Card Corner. As we enter into a season of new and fresh beginnings, love and friendship we want to feature cards showcasing sentiments including New Years, Valentine's Day, Friendship as well as Thank You, Happy Birthday and Congratulations. Take a look at the following techniques we'll be featuring and send us your fabulous cards!

Color Combo. It's the season of love. Send us your cards showcasing any shade of pink and red. You can throw in a neutral and one other color to "pop" but keep the focus on those "love"ly colors.

Feeling Misty. We've seen them used on layouts and altered projects but we want to see how YOU showcase mists and inks on a small canvas. Send in your cards using mists. You can use masks, maybe mist an embellishment. Be sure to include design notes on how you used mists on your card!

Ribbon. Ribbon adds a fun texture to all of our projects. We want to see creative ways you use ribbon on your cards.

Being Transparent. Feeling like people are seeing right through you lately? No? Well, we'd like people to see right through your cards! Use a clear media such as acrylic or transparencies. Get creative - cut them, ink them, use it as a base. Whatever you do we want to see them!

I Heart You. Heart embellishments, hearts used in a sentiment or stamp, heart shaped cards. These are just a few of the many ideas a heart can be used on your cards. Send in your creative card featuring a heart (or hearts)!

Deadline is midnight October 30th for all calls.
Please send your work to submissions@scrapstreet.com.
Please send a separate email for each submission you would like to be considered for publication. Please keep the image size around 600 x 600 pixels. Thank you!

Have a great Tuesday!

- Melissa

It's Almost Halloween

2011-10-23T10:45:00.000-05:00

Are you ready? Halloween is almost here! It is a prime time to grab the camera and shoot away! I love to take photos on Halloween because of all of the great colors of the costumes and decorations! I usually amp up my pictures using Photoshop! The more pop, the better!

Scrapping Halloween is super easy considering all of the great Halloween lines out there. Think Teresa Collins Haunted Hallows, Bella Blvd's Too Cute to Spook or American Crafts's Nightfall. So many adorable options! I love a traditional orange and black combo, with a touch of purple!

Here is a layout:

I used Teresa Collins Haunted Hallows here! The frame and October are all a part of a calendar paper. I covered the rest up with a variety of patterned papers! I threw in some red to compliment my son's costume!

I have been very into this diagonal patterning lately...I think it adds something unique and allows you to overlap lots of patterns at once!

Have fun capturing your Halloween memories this year!

Oldies but Goodies~

2011-10-22T00:01:00.008-05:00

I love using my stash~stash can come in handy sometimes. When Jillibean Soup had their Design Team call at the beginning of this year, I only had these papers. They are two or three years old and I still think they ROCK!!!! They were perfect for these pictures~

This is another layout done with older Jillibean Soup and to me this paper still has "it". You know that something special that just makes you love it.

I remember when these lined papers came out and I loved them then and I still think they are great. Dig deep in those cabinets and pull out that cute old stuff and scrap it!! My call for the January issue of Scrap Streets is~

Some of our favorite Scrapbooking company's that are no longer in business lets show some love~so dig through your stash and bring out an oldie but goody!!! My email is ~ connie@scrapstreet.com

Have a great day and see ya soon!

by: C. Mercer

3-D Halloween Treat Bags

2011-10-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

Halloween is such a fun time of year. In addition to the traditional trick or treating, many of us will be attending parties or we have kids who will be attending parties. Some of you brave souls will be hosting parties, too. If you're one of them or if you're a parent who's volunteered to help make the treat bags for your child's class (ahem, like me), here is an idea for a goodie bag.

I took cello bags and filled them with candy. I created the 3-D pumpkin in my Silhouette machine and used black ribbon to finish it off.

This project is very versatile, too. You could create one for a birthday party using fun, festive colors and a birthday-themed image. You could use pretty pastels and flower images for a Mother's Day gift. Christmas treat bags could be red or green and have a Christmas tree.

If you choose to do this for Halloween, you can be assured your guests will be happy with the treat and won't play any tricks on you!!

Haunting Halloween Stamps!

2011-10-20T00:00:00.005-05:00

CS Designs is a name you need to know if you don’t already. CS Designs is owned by an exceedingly talented artist, Chris Stern, who decided not to long ago to share her art in the form of digital stamps. BUT these are NOT your average digital stamps. These stamps are so unique and funky, certainly one of a kind in the digital stamp world. She offers different collections of remarkable digis. If you like distinctive, unusual art you are going to flip over CS Designs.

Since Halloween is just around the corner I had to share the latest additions to her digital stamp shop, HAUNTING APPARITIONS and HALLOWEEN GOTH & MACABRE SENTIMENTS! Chris describes these stamps as “Paranormal, Ghoulish, Goth and Macabre”. She has a wonderful selection of images as well as haunting sentiments and they all work together or separately.

Sharon Rogers, CS Designs Head Designer, has graciously agreed to share some of her creepy creations with you featuring just a few of the new stamps. To see the complete collection be sure to go to CS DESIGNS.

The first creation features the digi Solitaire Ancient Embalming Treatments. What is not to love about these? You need to take note of the "mummy" wrapping too, great embellishment.

Next is Sharon's card with the digital Paranormal Medium Agency and she also used the Poison Bottle digi. Oh I just love this card with the purple and shades of orange The chain attaching the bottles is a clever idea. This card just reaches out and grabs you.

This card shows us the Solitaire Mask of Webs and the Step Into My Parlor digitals. I really like how she used just two colors and the white webbing completes the eerie look of the card.

Never fear, CS Designs also offers a whimsical take on Halloween with the digital Stamps, PRISCILLA's HALLOWEEN. These feature the sweet Priscilla digital dressed in her Halloween attire, but created in the true artistic fashion of Chris Stern.