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Monday, November 26, 2012

Using the 'B' Side

Hello, World!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and I hope you all had some time to play with your scrappy supplies and toys! Christy asked me to use these Graphic45 papers this month, and sadly (for me), they were a little too 'busy' for the pictures I had printed to scrap.

So what do you do when your patterned paper isn't exactly what you had in mind? Flip them over. Many manufacturers these days are printing their papers double-sided: a bold, larger focal point on the front, and a smaller, more subtle, coordinating pattern on the back. These 'B-sides' often make perfect backgrounds and embellishments when used as bits and pieces.
And now, without further ado... this month's layouts, using these papers as both backgrounds and as embellishments. Enjoy!


 Supplies:
- patterned paper - Graphic45, Scenic Route
- cardstock - Bazzill
- washi tape
- die cutter - Silhouette
- punches - EK Success
- decorative brads
- letter stickers - Prima, American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type
- metal embellishments - Making Memories (old - from my stash)
- spray ink



Friday, November 16, 2012

Let The Good Times Be Remembered


Let The Good Times Be Remembered in this Mini Album made with the Simple Stories "Take a Hike" Paper and Stickers

Making albums can be a major project, and the albums can also take up some major space in our homes when finally completed.  That would be time and space that some of us don’t have.  But there's a perfect solution to this problem - mini albums!

The mini album pictured below is simply created with one 12 x 12 sheet, some scraps, hemp string, and rosette made from the Tim Holtz Alterations Die.  Oh, and of course let's not forget about the stickers.  The Simple Stories "Take a Hike" stickers add that special extra something in no time at all and with no extra work on your part.

When finished, you can put your beautiful mini album in your purse to take with you and show your friends.  Then, simply store it in a photo box with all of your other treasured minis.





To make the small wreath below, I used The Simple Stories "Harvest Lane" paper and stickers, along with Tim Holtz Rosette Die.



It was so much fun working with the Simple Stories paper and stickers.  And, using the Tim Holtz Rosette Die made it easy to make this wreath in no time, with the rosettes folding very nicely.

Supplies:
Simple Stories "Harvest Lane"paper, and stickers
Tim Holtz Alterations Die, paper, and scissors
Glossy accents (for glue)
Hot glue gun
American Crafts - paper trimmer
Hemp string

Let the Good Times Be Remembered by stopping by Scraphappy to pick up your scrapping supplies and to see the finished mini album and wreath.  Christy and Stephanie are always happy to help you with any scrapping questions.












































































Monday, November 12, 2012

Wood Mounted or Clear?


So the ongoing debate of wood mounted stamps or clear continues. I love the look and feel of the wood mounted stamps, such great wood grains and easy generally to grip. But the storage decisions have to be continually addressed. Back when I had a couple of dozen stamps (bwahaha, sad I know) there was no problem. One drawer of a rolling cart was perfect and left other drawers for all of my ink and paper (again, I know but that addiction and storage options are for others to blog).

As time goes on and the collection grows, I moved to plastic shoe boxes. These were great. You can see what’s in the box, align the different shaped stamps to fit a lot into the box and even label the boxes once that solution grew. Then there were more rolling drawers, a great desk with drawers on both sides that are just the right size for stamps. The kitchen table art area grows into a home studio. And yet still, space becomes limited.

Then clear stamps arrived on the scene with much suspicion but they were so easy to store. As this caught on, I saw a nice alternative. The clear stamps are easy to store and come in a growing variety. Of course, I needed both clear stamps and wood mounted stamps.

EZ Mount Cling comes on the scene so I can now mount my really affordable sheets of rubber image.  All I need are a few acrylic blocks to be able to stamp them. I bought this pre-sticky product and began the task of removing some of the wooden mounted images and putting them on cling. Voila, easier storage!

So we arrive at the dilemma. What do I do with the wood blocks? It seems wasteful to toss them and you just know there will be some way to creatively use them later on. Earlier this year, I saw a new solution at Scraphappy.

 
 
I can decorate the little wood blocks and make a whole new line of fun. Pulling the bag of already denuded blocks out, I began the task of cleaning them up and determining size options.

My mother is tricky person to shop for but as she is a quilter, I could see the potential for a pretty little set of blocks with buttons and flowers. Choosing some varying sizes of blocks, I did a light sanding to be sure any lumps of foam were removed. Sorting through a nice assortment of paper scraps offered a lot of color and pattern choices. (What a great way to work on that paper addiction as the same time). I dug into my collection of leftover embellishments from other projects and the fun began. I rubbed a little Distress Ink around the edges to give the blocks some character and built up the interest. The result was a sweet little Mother’s Day gift.


If you are trying to find the next phase of sorting and stamp storage, give this a try. I am planning little holiday gifts, and some birthday gifts, and …

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Harvest Lane

I am in LOVE with the new Simple Stories paper line, Harvest Lane. The colors, phrases, alphabet, etc are so pretty. Great paper for many occasions! Here is a mini album and a wall hanging using said paper line.

This wall hanging is made out of a 12x12 clear acrylic panel, and 4 atc sized acrylic panels. This would look so cute hanging in your home for fall, or any season, with family photos on the large and small panels. It is so easy to customize to match anyone's home decor, making it a perfect Christmas gift!! Purchase the acrylic for less than $9!!
 
The second project is a "Gratitude" mini album. This album will be taught as a class on November 16th at 6 pm, and we also have kits for it available in store!! This book is 22 pages, plus two mini pages!!! It's huge!
I used a 6" acrylic tabbed album for this, along with several pieces of chipboard to add pages.
There are lots of spaces for photos,  journaling, and places to count some of your blessings.
 The colors in the Harvest Lane are soooo pretty!!
This would be a perfect book for a gift, or to document your Thanksgiving,
or for all occasion family photos. This would also be fun to work on over Thanksgiving break!
Come by to check it out!!