Keep the kids busy on Thanksgiving

Want to keep the kids out of the kitchen while you are preparing the Thanksgiving eats? Take a little time today to create these Thanksgiving bingo placemats that I created for the Fiskateer site. The kids will probably "attack" each relative as they walk through the door as they eagerly try to fill their placemats with the signatures of the relative who has a cat...the one whose favorite color is orange...who has won a race...who is afraid of spiders...who still has leaves to rake in their yard. Create your own family facts and make this very simple paper placemat. I printed the phrases on to the papers and then let the kids help punch and glue on the shapes. It's a great way to use up scraps (and to inventory that collection of punches and dies you've been hoarding).

Wishing you and your family a very thankful Thanksgiving!

~Kelly

What to do with busy backgrounds

Fiskars Quilt Block of the Month #10



Busy...busy...busy...and what??!!
We are just entering the "busy season"?
I've been in the busy season for awhile.
So, I've decided, "why not just embrace the "busy" and create "busy" layouts?"

Fiskars Quilt Block of the Month #9


I'm catching up on my Quilt Blocks of the Month with Smitha Katti over at the Fiskars site. While quilt blocks are great for piecing together fabulous backgrounds, using patterned paper can get them looking a little "busy". My solution? Keep the embellishments to a minimum. With these colorful pieced background blocks, I don't want my photos to get lost. After all, we wouldn't be scrapbooking if we didn't have photos, right?

Fiskars Quilt Block of the Month #8

On these pages, I used solids (but textured) lettering for the titles. The solid colors are necessary so the title doesn't get lost on the page. But, with a bit of dimension, (stencil/negative space on the first layout, burlap textured letters on the middle layout, and glitter-embossed letters on the bottom) I can still play with embellishing but balance it with the background.

So, feeling busy?
Embrace it.

~Kelly

Something a little scary

For this Halloween project, I decided to make something a little scary for you! It was just a little scary for me too...I had never made a home decor collage project. Although, all scrapbook pages are sort of a collage, and I've made banners, this was different for me. Lots of steps and layers were a bit intimidating, and I placed and re-placed and positioned and re-positioned all of the elements a zillion times before I started gluing. I started by arranging (and re-arranging) an assortment of Halloween stamps onto my Fiskars stamp press as seen below.

Then, I stamped randomly on some white tissue paper using black Stazon ink.

I glued the tissue onto a thick piece of cardstock and then, I started inking with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Stain...more randomness

I started punching and cutting...I spy with my little eye Fiskars Grandma's Doily, a small cloud (as clouds and ghosts), and a small bare tree.  I used my Fiskars Ultra Shape Xpress to cut the large tree from the Fiskars Woodland Tree Template.   And, I also used a Martha Stewart fence border punch as well as letters cut from a Sizzix Alpha die. The checkerboard-like, flocked paper for the tree is from My Mind's Eye.

 

Then the arranging and layer began (that part lasted a long time). Finally gluing.

This weekend, I'm participating in the 3rd Annual Fiskateers ORANGE Blog Hop! For more info about Fiskateers, and the blog hop, you can go to www.fiskateers.com/

 

Leaves captured

The leaves have changed from green into their vibrant autumn colors...and now they are dropping...quickly.

So, I thought I better quick make some cards to celebrate and capture this ever-changing season. Used my new Tim Holtz "blueprint" stamp of an oak leaf for the background and then added several colors and some clear embossing powder to highlight and pop the one on the corner. A few punches of my "Oakey Dokey" Fiskars squeeze punch and bonus points for digging out the sewing machine too!  This was how I celebrated "World Card-Making Day" on Saturday. How did you participate?

Hope you get some time this week to "sit and watch the leaves turn". This season will be over before you know it.

 

a watercolor experiment

Longing for my days doing experiments in the college chemistry lab (NOT), I decided to do a little experiment with distress stains. Using my non-stick craft sheet from Ranger, Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Tumbled Glass), 5 manilla tags, 1 sheet of photo paper, and some water, I set out to find out what is my favorite method for getting a watercolor effect.

Experiment #1:

-wipe distress stain on the mat

-spritz stain and mat with water

-also spritz the paper with water

-slide paper over the mat

Result: very pale coloring, because the paper is manilla, this one has almost a yellow/green tinge to its aqua color

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Experiment #2:

-wipe distress stain on the mat

-spritz just the paper with water

-slide paper over the mat

Result: a mottled, imperfect soft water color effect, pretty





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Experiment #3:

-wipe distress stain over the paper
-spritz water on the paper
Result: Slightly more intense color than #2, but doesn't have the mottled effect, less variance in shades over the card, but still pretty

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Experiment #4:
-wipe distress stain on the mat
-spritz mat with water
-wipe glossy sheet of photo paper over the mat
Result: splotchy swipes and dots of color, color more true to the stain color since paper base is white (versus manilla) (must have had a little bit of leftover green on the mat--oops)

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Experiment #5:

-Wipe the whole tag with stain
-Starting 3/4" inch from the top, wipe this bottom part of the tag again with stain
-Keep repeating the process moving down 3/4" inch after each layer
Result: an ombre effect that is very "in" right now. However, the bottom part of the tag (the part that recieved the most "swipes" was starting to pill and disintegrate)

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Experiment #6:

-wipe distress stain on the mat

-spritz mat with water

-wipe manilla tag over the mat

Result: similar mottled effect to #2, but without the visible swipe lines

So, do I have a favorite? No, I like them all! It's helpful to see what effect each method produces though. Using Fiskars circle and cloud squeeze punches, Sizzix embossing plates, ribbon scraps, some twine, and a cute printed sentiment, I turned these experiments into tags--perfect for attaching a gift card to the back. I like experiments. Not enough to go back to college chemistry though.

So, did you see my submission call for watercolor projects in the July issue of Scrapstreet ? You can check it out here.

No matter what method you use to achieve a watercolor effect (paint, stain, mists, watercolors, or something else), I'd love to see it! The deadline is August 19th.

Things I love about this layout

Things I love about this layout...

-these patterned papers from Authentique's line, Genuine. I could wallpaper my house in these papers--and I don't usually love a whole collection, but with this one, every sheet makes me happy.
So, Authentique, if you are listening (or watching or looking or reading), how about starting a line of wallpaper?

-the yellow polka dot paper from Close to My Heart...
polka dots make me happy too

-the sandpaper I used to cut out the letters in BEACH.
Guess what they remind me of? SAND, sandpaper, get it?

-the pattern from this grid stamp (from Stampin' Up) that I stamped with clear embossing ink under the glitter

-the triangle banners at the top of the layout, with the twine underneath. The shape is from Fiskars new XXXXL "Banner Year" Lever Punch. I had previously questioned why I would need a punch that makes triangles when they really aren't that difficult to hand cut, but let me tell you...pop, pop, pop--3 triangles all the same size in 3 seconds, I was wrong...I LIKE it!  By the way, this layout design is from Smitha Katti's Quilt Block of the Month over on the Fiskars site.  I've been playing along each month, but recreating her quilt block with paper (because I am NOT a seamstress).  Go check them out here...she's going to have a beautiful quilt at the end of the year.

-the white lacy leaf from Kaisercraft tucked under the right side of the photo

-this cute photo of my son sitting in one of the many holes in the sand that he made that day

-the compass overlay from Me and My Big Ideas that is to the right of the photo

-the mini alphabet, Tiny Type, stickers from Cosmo Cricket--
I could collect these in every color!
-did I mention the papers from Authentique?
Oh, so worth mentioning again.

-the sparkly gold glitter, with that grid pattern, ooh la la!
In Florida, the sand really is sparkly!

OK, now things I don't like about this layout...

there is just one...

-the sparkly gold glitter

Oh, did you notice the sparkly gold glitter ended up on both lists?
(I bolded it for you just in case you didn't notice).

Actually, that sparkly gold glitter ended up on my barefeet, on the photo, on my fingers, on my clothes, in my hair, all over my scrap dungeon, on my camera, on the front porch (where I took the photo of the layout), do you get the idea?

I am reminded why I don't like glitter and why I don't use glitter. I tried that old high school art class trick of spraying hair spray over the glitter to help it set--didn't work. Maybe I need to use super duper Aqua Net, circa 1987?

Oh well, this layout is one of my favorites.
So much so, I could almost forgive and forget about the glitter.

Almost.

Hope you have a sparkly day!

~Kelly

Something new

As summer began and spring ended (officially on Wednesday), I was finishing up some spring cleaning by going through my junk, stash of goodies...embellishments and leftovers that end up in a box for me to use on my scrap. The box was getting a little bit full and I was determined to purge.

I usually describe my style as "a little bit of everything".  This card is definitely a little bit of everything... it's like a "Where's Waldo". 

I spy with my little eye...a doily, a butterfly, acrylic, satin roses, a tag, pearls, eyelet, burlap, tulle, leaves, and a bird. Did I forget anything?

Earlier this week, I got to play with Fiskars' new die-cutting and letterpress machine, The Fuse. I was impressed with how easily it cut through all different material including grunge board and 10 sheets of paper at one time! People were lining up to make mini-books!

Each shape, has interchangeable design plates (I used the clock plate seen on this card) that can be inked and then ran through the machine that die-cuts and letterpresses all in one swoop!  Eventually, there will be tons of dies and designs, and large 12 inch dies to make boxes and bags.  I can't wait!

 

It's always fun to play with something new! 

And, who knows what you will find when you do a little cleaning?

 ~Kelly

Why I make cards

Just a few quick pics of this versatile new stamp set called Joyful Jar from Close to My Heart. I also used a doily die from Spellbinders and the Grandma's Doily and Scalloped Circle punches from Fiskars (and a few others tools, punches,  and papers in my stash).

*A quick tip...those itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny stamps stick perfectly to the top of a glue stick cap. I can stick my finger in the cap and stamp, stamp, stamp!

Now, we come to the reason why I make cards. It was my birthday last week, and this was the card I received in the mail from a family member. This is a beautiful store-bought card, IF YOU ARE A 99 YEAR OLD RETIRED FISHERMAN! 

A beautiful hand-made card can be a gift in itself. 

That is why I make cards.

Send one out that you've made today.

~Kelly