Happy Mother's Day

Looking for a card idea to go with that mother's day present this weekend? Grab your Dotty for You paper and create this simple and easy Mother's day card (I got this card idea from a creative fellow consultant)! Or substitute paper you already have in your collection that is in your mom's favorite colors. That's the beauty of making our own cards...we can make them special by using our loved ones favorite colors and themes. Happy Mother's day to all women who nurture and love children anywhere.

Can Pictures Speak More than a Thousand Words?

You have all heard the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words." As scrapbookers we know our photos speak to us. But we can take advantage of pictures to tell us more! In this layout, I made a sign for my son to hold on his last day of school. I could have snapped a regular picture on his last day, but holding the sign made it more meaningful. Photos like this add to the meaning to our layouts without using additional journaling. Here are some more ideas on how to create photos with a purpose that speak even more than a thousand words!

• Create a simple sign for someone to hold. It could say a simple phrase, or share an emotion such as "We miss you, Dad!" For added meaning, have your child write it him/herself!
• When using signs, I suggest making it at least 8 1/2 x 11 in a large font so it is readable in the photo.
• Have each person in the picture hold a letter to spell a word.
• Point to a map. For example, in a place you visit, find a city map and point to where you are on the map.
• Reinact a moment you want to capture that you didn't have your camera for the first time. It sounds crazy but if you make it cheesy and totally ham it up it adds even more emotion and fun! For example, your daughter goes on her first date but you don't want to embarrass her in front of her date (well, anymore than we as parents do already! Ha! Ha!). The next day, reenact the leaving on the date scene by having her dad (with hands on his hips of course) wagging his finger while the daughter shakes her head in embarrassment. Believe me, that photo will say more than a thousand words!

These are just a few of the many ways that you can make your photos have more meaning and more messages behind them. Get creative and play around with more and make your next photo shoot say more!

Virtual Garage Sale!

It's spring cleaning time and I'm making room for new stamping and scrapbooking goodies by having a virtual garage sale! I literally have over 100 stamp sets (many of them never used) that have been retired and need a good home. :) Stamp sets range in price from only $3 to $9 so there are killer deals for you!! All of the stamps are listed on this site: www.stampnscrapads.com and just click on acrylic stamps. Happy saving!

Faux Stitching

I love this new flower stamp! It has an adorable stitched border and you just fill in the petals with different patterns or inks. So fun. I wanted to carry the stitching look from the flower over into the rest of the card but I honestly was feeling a little lazy about pulling out my threads to stitch it! ha! ha! So instead I created "faux" stitching around the edge of the card. It's so simple. Here's how:

1. With the bone folder or other scoring tool, score dash lines. I just free handed mine, but you can measure it if you like to be more precise.
2. Now lightly sand the scored marks and they will pop right off the page! It looks like you have stitched around the card with white thread. It's that easy!

Hmmm...now what else can I stitch? :) Enjoy!

Consider Yourself Hugged!

I found these little tins tucked away in a box of craft supplies I haven't looked at for awhile and was so excited! So many fun things that you can do with them! And with Valentine's Day next week, I thought I would make a treat for my three darling children. So I grabbed my February Stamp of the Month (told you I LOVE that set! Ha! Ha!) and the beautiful new Stella paper and this is what I came up. Guess what is in inside each box? Hershey's "Hugs" of course! :)

What are you whipping up for your valentine?

Thoughtful Tidings

Thoughtful Tidings (Set of 11) 


I LOVE the sentiments and sayings in this fabulous stamp of the month! Creative, unique and so useful…you will just love the fun things you can make with this must-have stamp set! Oh, and it gets even better...most of the images shapes can be cut out with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge! Love it even more! February will be a very good stamping month. :)

Heart Warming Winter Cards

It's January and a dear friend is having a birthday. Or a neighbor brought you over some homemade cookies and you want to give them a thank you card. Do you reach for your flower or summery stamps? No way! Use a winter theme for your cards since it's winter! Or fall themes if the occasion is in the fall...you get the idea. Not all birthday cards have to have balloons! Ha! Ha! I love to make "seasonal" cards for your every day thank yous, get wells, and birthdays. That's why I reached for my "winter" stamps and the beautiful Wonderland paper to create these special cards. Check out how the pin clips are used to create "steam" rising from the hot chocolate mug. So fun! So use the seasons the next time you are creating and break away from the standard "balloons are for birthdays" mold!

Happy creating!

Love Your Layout!

Dreaming of snow? We have some friends whose children are seeing snow for the first time this year. It's so exciting! And it reminded me of the beautiful Wonderland papers. Check out this Love Your Layout video that shows you how to create a darling snow themed layout...along with a great tip on how to create borders with stickease! You'll love it!

All Stitched Up!

I LOVE stitching on layouts, cards and other craft projects. I just think it is so cute and adds a great touch! I have always been a little sad that I couldn't stitch on my Studio J layouts...until now!! They have added some fabulous stitching options to your embellishing options in Studio J. I'm in heaven!

Check out the cute stitched ribbon in the layout above. I created that stitched looking ribbon simply by dragging the running stitch pattern on top of the ribbon and then choosing a color. That's it! So easy!

There are tons of stitching options in Studio J...a variety of stitches, cross-stitches, stitched shapes like circles, hearts and flowers, and there are even stitched pennants and banners. All you do is click and drag them on...fast and easy just like all of our other embellishments. So swing on over to studioj.com and play....you'll love it!

Cut Your Stamps? Are you Crazy?

One question I get from my customers is, “I’ve heard you can cut acrylic stamps. Is it really okay to cut my stamps?”  The answer is YES!! I know it’s scary to do but it opens up a world of possibilities with your stamps!

First of all, why would you want to cut your stamps? Well perhaps you have a saying that is long and narrow but you want the words to be stacked on top of each other to fit a square space. Or perhaps you only want to use part of a stamp.

 

When I created this card the other day, I had a vine stamp and I wanted to stamp this cute flower onto the vine without the stem and leaves. Yet, the way the stamp was designed it was difficult to ink up just part of the stamp. The answer? Cut the bloom!

I just took the stamp off the carrier sheet and decided where to cut. When cutting a stamp, I like to make sure that there is enough blank space around the image to make it easy to cut the image without cutting any other parts of the design. As you get more confidence in cutting stamps you can get more daring. J When you have planned your cut, simply use your microtip scissors and cut your stamp.

Now you have your stamp in two pieces. It’s easy to put both pieces together on a block to stamp the whole thing as one image in the future. So you don’t have to worry about not being able to use the whole stamp together as one piece another time. You have the best of both worlds!

Now just stamp your image.

And voila! Your final card! See the cute blue blooms on the vine. I couldn’t have done it easily without cutting that stamp. 

See! It’s super easy to cut your stamps and have flexibility with your images. Enjoy!

Supplies:

·      Dreamin’ paper packet

·      D1482 Love Life stamp set

·      D1436 The Present stamp set

·      Art Philosophy Seasons stamp set

·      Chocolate, Goldrush and Pacifica ink pads

·      Bronze Glitz Gel

·      Basic button collection

Studio J....Not Just for Scrapbooking!

Do you think that Studio J is only for scrapbooking?  Think again!  Here is an example of a recipe book that was made using Studio J.  You can take your JPG’s and have them printed any size that you want.  In this example, they were printed in 6” X 6” size so that they would fit into a My Creations Display Album.  You could make a book with a collection of favorite Christmas recipes, family favorites, soups, etc.  Make each recipe and take a photo of the finished product and include it with the recipe for a gift that is sure to be cherished. 

Name that Paper!!

Can you name the paper packet used in this Studio J layout?  

Stumped? It’s Michief! That’s right…a Halloween themed paper! Would you have ever dreamed of using Halloween paper on a Homecoming layout? That’s one of the benefits of Studio J.  You can play with paper combinations that you wouldn’t normally try! On this Homecoming layout, I simply chose any paper kit mix I wanted. Then I swapped the papers for two of the more traditional papers in the kit. Added some accents that matched the colors in the picture and voila! A surprise layout that does not look “Halloween” at all. So the next time you hop on Studio J, play around with swapping papers and the different looks and combinations that you can get!

Making Great Black and White Photos

Halloween is almost here and you’ll be taking those traditional photos of your ghosts, goblins and fairy princesses. A fun way to capture some Halloween spirit is to turn some of your color pictures into black and white.  It is very easy to do using Studio J, just drag and drop your photo into a layout, click on the Filter drop down and you can change it to Black and White or Sepia. Using these filters is a perfect match with the new Mischief paper. Don’t be scared – give it a try!

Here are 5 Tips for your Black and White Photos to come out looking sharp.

Shape and Form - When looking for a good shot, look beyond the colors in a scene and instead focus you attention on the shapes. Try to create an interesting composition.

Contrast - Without differences in color to separate elements in your shot, you must instead introduce contrasting shades. Use contrast to help your main subject stand out – such as a light subject against a dark background.

Pattern - Black and white photography gives you a much better chance of capturing interesting patterns because it focuses the viewer's attention on the shapes formed by the elements in a scene.

Texture - In the same way that patterns can be lost in color photography, textures can be too. With black and white photos, the mind no longer has that color information to work with, so it pays more attention and focuses on the elements such as texture and pattern.

Lighting - Lighting is absolutely key to a good black and white photograph because it affects all of the above elements - shape, contrast, pattern and texture.

Side lighting often produces the most dramatic black and white photos. It picks out the edges of shapes and increases contrast by adding highlights, and the shadows it creates add interest to the scene as well as enhancing textures and patterns.

Online reference: http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/5-essential-tips-for-black-and-white-photography

Raid Your Stash for a Little Extra Bling!

I had so much fun creating some new Studio J layouts the other day. Yesterday they arrived in the mail and I eagerly ripped open the box! :) As I looked at them I noticed on my table was sitting some left over bling from another project I had just finished (imagine that! I'm actually finishing projects! ha! ha!). So I decided to add some of that extra bling to my layouts. Sooooo awesome! I love the look! I had so much fun in fact that I did another one! The pictures really don't do it justice, but here are some picts anyway:

Before

After with a  little extra bling

Before

After with a little extra bling

All I did was raid my stash for a little extra bling and voila! So much fun!

Gift Card Holder Tutorial

It seems like I am always in need of a gift for a wedding, and gift cards are a quick pick, but can be rather impersonal.  Why not make it extra special by enclosing it in this beautiful gift card holder?  It features our brand-new Roxie paper and accessories, and is super easy to put together.

 Here is how, step-by-step:

Supplies

All papers, stamps and embellishments are available in the Roxie Workshop on the Go Kit—G1025, pg. 25, $29.95

Stamp Pads

Z2105 Black

Z2166 Tulip

Z2118 Desert Sand

Miscellaneous

18” ribbon

Adhesive, such as Tombow

1772 Glue Dots

Z1151 3-D Mounting Tape

2 pins from Z1466 Bling Assortment (pg. 128--$4.95 or included in Workshop on the Go Kit)

Z697 Sponge

Cutting Dimensions

Black Cardstock

1 ¾” x 2 ¾” (tag)

4 ¼” x 11” (base)

Score along long edge at 3”, 5 ½” & 8”

Roxie Background and Texture Paper

Four-4” x 3 ¾” (use plaid side on two and pink side on other two)

½” x 4” pink rose pattern paper

Colonial White Cardstock

1 ½” x 2 ½” (tag)

Scrap for stamping

Desert Sand Cardstock

4” x ¾”

Assembly Instructions:

Cut papers as listed above. 

·     On a scrap of Colonial White Cardstock, stamp one large rose in Tulip Ink, and the small rose in Tulip, and then without re-inking, stamp it again so that you have a second-generation rose—it will be slightly lighter in color and will give you a nice variation in color. 

·     Stamp the filigree border stamp in Black on the pink ½” x 4” strip.

·     On the 1 ½” x 2 ½” Colonial White piece, stamp “Love” in Tulip Ink in the bottom right-hand corner.  Stamp “So in” in Black Ink in the upper left-hand corner.  Sponge edges of tag with Tulip Ink.

·     Stamp two large leaves side by side, slightly overlapping, in Desert Sand.  Score the 4 ¼”x11” base at 3”, 5 ½” & 8”.  Fold on score lines to make an “M” shape.

Next, you need to cut the opening for the gift card.  Find a round

object that is approximately 4” in diameter to use as a guide—I used

a small tin.  Fold the base piece in half and trace the edge of your

round object along the fold.  Make sure that you are leaving at least

3/8” along both sides. Trim with scissors.  

Next, you will need to adhere the gift card pocket together.  Place a strip of adhesive along both sides and the bottom edge of the pocket, as illustrated with the white strips below.  You can use an adhesive, such as Tombow, but may want to add some gldots at the corners for a stronger bond.

Fold the base in half and you will have a nice pocket for the gift card.

  

Next, you need to add the ribbon.  Mark the center of your length of ribbon and wrap it around the holder—make sure that you have the fold at the bottom.  Adhere in several places with glue dots.










 Now you are ready to add the beautiful papers.  Distress the edges of the pink rose-print papers with black ink and adhere to the inside of the holder.

·     Distress the edges of the plaid papers and adhere to the front and back covers of the holder. 

·     Using the edge of your scissors, scrape the edges of the black tag base and the Desert Sand strip for a nice distressed edge, and then layer with corresponding stamped pieces. 

·     Adhere the Desert Sand Strip on the front cover, approximately ¼” from bottom edge of plaid paper. 

·     Adhere the “So in Love” piece to the using 3-D Mounting Tape. 

·     Cut out roses and adhere the large rose to the upper-right-hand corner of the message tag.  Adhere the two leaves to the smaller rose, then mount over the larger rose using 3-D mounting tape.

·     Add the two pins, inserting them through the 3-D mounting tape that you used to adherthe smaller rose.

·       Add gift card and your hand-written greetings to the inside and you have a lovely gift for the bride and groom!

Art Philosophy..Cricut style!

The Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge is here!

Close To My Heart has taken paper crafting to a new creative level.  Not only did they come out with an exclusive cartridge with 700 images, they have bundled it with three coordinating D-size stamp sets as well as three sheets of chipboard shapes for a terrific price of only $99. It all works together perfectly! 

You may be wondering if this cartridge matches up to other stamp sets? The answer is YES!  There are other stamp sets throughout our Idea Book that are indicated with a thin red line. These stamp sets also match up with images on the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge.  Awesome! How do you know what shape and size to cut out for each stamp? The stamps sets do include the measurements right on the packaging - the stamp’s carrier sheet - so you will know exactly what size to die cut your image with your Cricut so that you can then stamp your image perfectly onto your die cut. And to make it even easier, purchase the Art Philosophy package and I will send you three quick reference temps to help you know exactly what shape to use. Just slip them into your stamp set case and with a quick glance you have the cricut setting info for each stamp. Perfect!