Thursday, April 30, 2009

TECHNIQUE THURSDAY!

Over on our forums, we do a fun little monthly challenge called Scrapbuilders. It is like playing "telephone" when you were a kid - you know that game where you whisper something into someone's ear they whisper it into the next persons ear and it continues until you get to the end and when the last person tells the secret, it always comes out totally different than what the original whisper was....well this is the same way with Scrapbuilders. An original layout is picked and emailed to the first person (we usually have 3 teams as we have a lot of scrappers who like to play!) who then has 3 days to scraplift the layout and email it back. It is amazing to see how much things change and how different styles can come from an original! This is the original layout that was chosen this month:
This layout was done by member JENSCARLETT on our forums and I just loved it! The colours and the design were just beautiful. I was the last person on an 8 member team and the layout that was sent to me by KYLAKOO on our forums looked like this:
I had to flip the layout in order to accomodate my pictures and my layout looked like this:
Things sure changed from the original huh?!!
And so by now, you are probably wondering why this post is called Technique Thursday?!! Welllll.... I got a lot of questions about the foam letters so I thought I would share it with you! A close up of the letters:

These letters are foam letters courtesy of my near and dear Dollar Store! I love them and everytime I pop in, I buy all the black and white letters that are there. They are super versatile and the white ones are especially great as you can change them into whatever colour you need!

Place your letters on a transparency and simply colour your letters using ink - I used alcohol ink but you could use regular ink as well (just know that they take a lot longer to dry, you could also use markers). Take a stamp, preferably a larger stamp that would cover your entire letter such as a background stamp and cover it with Versamark Ink. Heat your letters using a heat gun - the letters will start to melt and they will appear to get "flatter". Quickly press your stamp into the letters - press hard and hold for about 10 seconds and voila!!

The Versamark is used as a release - so that your stamp doesn't get stuck in the letters. The transparency is used so that you are able to move your letters off of it and place it on your page. If you put them directly on your page first, I would worry about warping your paper or the Versamark getting on your page. A friend and I were also talking and saying you could probably also run them through a Cuttlebug? Anyone ever tried that? I think I shall attempt it this evening!! Hope your week is going much better than mine :)

Monday, April 27, 2009

NEW CREATIONS

I have been a scrapping maniac this weekend! I am finishing up stuff for the Design Team Reveal that is coming up.... and have a new favourite layout! If you frame your layouts, please share with me where you get your frames from? The only ones that I find at Michael's don't thrill me and I would love to find a nice frame for a layout...sharesies please!
These 2 layouts were created at a scrap night a week ago - I still have 2 that I need to finish up but thought I would share these ones.
For some reason, my friend Tanis and I both think I may have done a layout very similar to this one?? But in order to find out, I would have to dig through layouts.... because, I sheepishly admit, I have yet to put them in albums. I have drawers, and drawers, and drawers of layouts......and no albums.... Adding that to my to-do list (don't hold me to that, I have successfully avoided it for a long time!!) The lovely flourish is Riff-Raff with Glimmer Mist and the chipboard heart had a little run through my cuttlebug and then met up with Aged Mohogany distress ink and finished up with a final course of Glossy Accents.

I have yet to decide if I will journal on this one or not...I don't always journal unless there is a story to tell. I just love this picture so much but I could tell about the look on S's face...maybe. Do you journal every layout? The 2 was borrowed from a friend (I guess not really borrowed as I'm pretty sure she isn't wanting it back?) and hit with some Glimmer Mist. The Heidi Swapp birdies met up with alcohol ink and Cuttlebug. I have taken a liking to my pokey lately so you may be seeing a bit more of it! Ahhhh...obsessions, you gotta love em!

SKETCH OF THE WEEK APR 27 - MAY 3

I have been scrapping all weekend (design team reveal coming soon!!!) and woke up this morning to do a sketch but kept being drawn back to a layout I had seen on a blog earlier this month. So this is not one of my own designs but a "lift sketch" from Talia's Blog you really need to go check it out as she has used an envelope in a very creative way to do hidden journalling! She has done a few other layouts using the envelope idea as well so be sure to check them out! Happy Scrapping Everyone :)

Friday, April 24, 2009

LATE NIGHT SCRAPPIN'

Whew... I finally found some motivation!! I have been avoiding the scrappyness in me lately, largely in part to the mess that was awaiting me at my scraptable! So I bit the bullet and cleaned it off and have been happily scrappin'. We have a fun little challenge over on the forums called Crop Circle - it is 5 challenges laid out by the previous month's winner and it always makes me wanna scrap. The 5 challenges set up this month were:
  • use something recycled
  • use pink
  • use Stickles
  • use 2 different shapes
  • use something cut out by hand
So I dug through some old pictures (as my printer is out of ink :( ) and came up with this:

- the recycled item is that little green thingy on the square - it was actually a twist tie from a power cord that I just opened. God bless alcohol ink as I used it to turn the white twist tie to green, the peach flower to green, the white button to green and the 2 Heidi Swapp hearts to blue and pink! My hands are a mess but hey, it works!
Then I decided to make a couple birthday cards for my son to take to a birthday party on Sunday. Coincidentally, Jerusha also put her card challenge up today and asked us to make a kid's card! Jerusha and I swapped stamps a while back and she sent me some adorable penguin stamps so this was the perfect opportunity to use them! The first one is a Shaker Card (you can see the video and tutorial of another one here) and the second one was inspired by Jodi Collins which is a great blog to go to for card inspiration! My craft knife slipped on the spinner card and since I am learning to leave the perfectionism under my craft table, I decided to keep it!

I am partway through my tree sketch layout so hopefully I can finish that up tomorrow during nap time! Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

Monday, April 20, 2009

SKETCH OF THE WEEK - APRIL 20 - 26

Everywhere I look these days, I am seeing trees in layouts....so I attempted to do one at a crop on Saturday but just couldn't draw one I was happy with. I love the tree on my blog and my friend even tried to get it to come up on her phone but no luck so I put that layout to the side but couldn't get it out of my head. So today I sat down and played with Photoshop. God Bless Photoshop....almost .... ALMOST makes me think I could digital scrap.... ( I know I couldn't, I would miss the creative process way too much). So this weeks SOTW is trees and birdies (because you know I can't get enough of those birdies!) and layers...lotsa layers. Enjoy!


Friday, April 17, 2009

CURRENT ADDICTIONS

NON-SCRAPPY OBSESSIONS:
  1. Tim Horton's - XL half English Toffee, half coffee (and my kids can recite it every time we pull up to the drive thru!)
  2. Blogs - I just can't get enough and I'm sure this doesn't surprise any of you
  3. A new show called Taking the Stage (it's just like watching Fame all over again but in real life) - especially Mia Carruthers...she has a freakishly beautiful voice.
  4. That's Not My Name - by the Ting Tings.......seriously addicted
  5. Lost - I wonder if I will ever figure this show out. It comes on Wednesday nights at 9...but that is the previous weeks episode and then the new one comes on at 10 and I usually watch both of them so I technically watch each episode twice. I usually can't watch a rerun so this is a serious obsession!
  6. Bagels with raspberry jam and cheddar cheese - don't knock it till you try it!
  7. Chelsea Lately - she's not on til midnight but I have a hard time not staying up to watch her - dang is she funny!
  8. HGTV - has become my new go-to channel (you know the one you switch to whenever there is a commercial?)
  9. NHL Playoffs - GO CANUCKS GO!!!
  10. Candy Cane Dark Chocolate Bark - from Tim Horton's again...it's left from Christmas so you think they would put it on sale...but it isn't....but yet I still buy it.... and I hate sharing it!
Stay tuned for my scrappy obsessions!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Loving and Linking!

I happened to stumble across some really cool things in my blog surfing over the last few days and thought I would share them all with you! Enjoy :)
Cool Cuttlebug Idea
Lotsa Tutorial Videos (I haven't had a chance to look at all of them yet but there were so many!!)
UTEE and Cookie Cutters (looks like way too much fun!!)
Make Your Own Paper Holder
What To Do With An Old Spice Rack
Make Your Own Clip It Up
Playing With Glimmer Mist
Cricut Pressure/Speed Cheat Sheet
Handwriting Your Titles
Free Downloadable Journal Tags

Monday, April 13, 2009

MY NEW FAVOURITE PHOTOS

Thanks to Tracey for the inspiration, these are my new favourite photos taken this weekend - they are all beautiful as is but I love editing photos so these are going to go on the top of the MUST SCRAP pile!

THREE - my 3 kidlets at the duck park


TWO - my 2 handsome boys (I love the look on S's face as he is trying hard not to look at the camera!)


ONE - my beautiful daughter with her Auntie's Easter tulip


SKETCH OF THE WEEK - APR 13-19

Hello my scrappy happy friends! It was a very busy week for me and I did not get one single layout done this week (although I did find the time to change up the blog a bit...what do you think?)!! I hope you all had a fabulous Easter and were blessed by happy times with your friends and family. I got some nice pictures but want to play with them a bit before posting :) The sketch this week is a collage sketch - my friend Tanis always seems to do some beautiful collage layouts so it inspired me to do a sketch and try to pull one together as well! If you don't have enough photos, it is a great opportunity to use up a bunch of your patterned paper scraps too! Happy Scrapping all!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Is It Just Me?

Or is this seeming like the loooooooooooongest week ever to you too? I am so tired...and I have so darn much to do and am running out of time. Easter is normally one of my most favourite holidays and I don't even have the baskets done yet. I didn't do anything super crafty for the schoolmates and I need to get stuff done for a school fundraiser that begins in about 7 hours......and I just don't have the get up and go to go do it. I think I need a nap....or.... a really yummy coffee....... I know there is such a creature as Dial-a-bottle, why isn't there Dial-a'Timmy's??!! (Timmy's is a big Canadian coffee chain for those of you unfortunate enough not to know that). I seriously gotta find some mojo ... if you've got any to spare, please send some this way!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Weekend Layouts

Finally finished them up today.... I kept wanting to add more to this first one but finally had to walk away - these are the pics from the Staz On Incident! I had many more pics of it so it was hard to pick just 2 to scrap with but I am getting better at that :)

SHE'S SO CRAFTY!

Any my second one is a lift from somewhere and for the life of me, I cannot recall...I printed off a wallet size of the layout and used it but forgot to note where it was from - my deepest apologies and if it belongs to you, please let me know so I can give you credit!

MY! WHAT BIG EARS YOU HAVE


SKETCH OF THE WEEK April 6 - 12

I still can't get over my birdie obsession! I went out scrapping with a friend on Friday night and I had serious drool moments over some new paper she picked up ... so much so that I finally convinced her to share (such a good friend AND she shares her goodies!!) I will post the layouts that I got done there a little later but here is my new sketch for the week - can't wait to see everyone's versions!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Few Confessions

Okay so I started doing a post on paint and then remembered that I needed to spill a few things...so today you will have to endure one of those rambling posts, my apologies in advance.

2 nights ago, I ran to the grocery store and happened to pick up a scrappy mag. I love my scrappy mags - I hate that they are expensive but I do love them. I love looking at new trends and ideas and ...just everything. I bought this one as it was titled "Play with Photos" which is one of my new fave things to do. So I rush home and sit down in the comfy chair, excited to read it.

However, upon closer inspection, I realize that it is a Simple Scrapbook magazine and I am not too happy with myself.... For those of you that don't know, Simple has ceased publication due to economic difficulties. While I understand the nature of the business, I have been reading from sooo many scrappers out there how CK Media (the big daddy that owns SS) hasn't paid many of them and it frustrates me..... So now onto my first confession....

I have blogged before about Lain Ehmann - I have read her blog for a long time and didn't actually realize (duh!) that she worked for SS until she posted that she had lost her job. I Love Lain - that is my big confession. She doesn't know it yet, but she is my new "bestie" (I am now going to try to play down my "stalking" role). She writes on her blog and I read it several times, she podcasts and I feel like we know each other, I leave her a comment and she will often take the time to send me a quick email back, and one day (GASP) she even left a comment on my blog. I was sad that SS shut down, sad for Lain and sad for the scrapping community...but then I got angry when Lain (and many other scrappers) started cancelling their appearances due to SS not paying them :( I have yet to buy Lain's book "Snippets" because I think that money may go back to SS and that ticks me off even more! I think my bestie should just come visit up here and leave all her troubles behind (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), too bad she is moving soon :(

So back to my magazine rant.... so since SS had shut down, it really annoyed me to see them promoting a freakin "who's the funnest scrapper" contest because I truly wonder if they will honor the winner. Here comes confession number 2.... And wanna know what else annoys me? GRAMMAR...... seriously, I cannot stand poor grammar!!! Funnest is NOT a word people!

And (uh oh I can feel the steam building...) Seriously...so SS shuts down and do all the editors stop doing their job and hang out at their desks surfing the net? Do you not think that they would take at least some pride in making their last few issues?? I'm thinking not...because have a gander at 2 of the layouts in this magazine:
Can you see the mistakes?!!! While they are both lovely layouts, would you not hope that whoever is in charge of publishing them would take the time to either change the spelling errors themselves or ask the sender to fix them and re-take the picture...would that be so hard? Now trust me, I have learned that we all make mistakes and sometimes a mistake in scrapping will totally help a layout but in my honest opinion, this just didn't help....not one little bit. I think that the scrappers who did the job also wish someone would have told them...I know I certainly would!

So my rant now comes to an end......whew........got that off my chest......... I am off to see if Lain has blogged something new for me today.... Have a great day!!