Cards & Creations by Laura

Cricut Cuts + Stamps = Awesome!

2011-04-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Seriously am CRAZY about these new A Muse Studio stamps! But how about combining TWO of my favorite things...A Muse stamps and Cricut cuts?! Totally perfect! I thought this cut (from Sweet Treats) and the"Happy Birthday to You" stamp work wonderfully together. Actually, the stamp reminds me of a rub-on because of the super-clean image. Love it!

Love this card too? Why not host your own A Muse Studio workshop and earn the products to create it for FREE!!! Contact me to learn more! Or buy the kit to complete the card on my Etsy shop (COMING SOON). Thanks for visiting!

Some more...

2011-04-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Supplies: Cardstock - Ocean (blue), Lichen (green), Sugar (white), Onyx (black); Brad - Onyx; Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stamps - Rock Star

A Muse Studio Samples!

2011-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the wonderful world of A Muse Studio! If you're a card-maker like me chances are you have heard of A Muse... They previously sold wood-mounted stamps and accessories to independent retail stores. As of March 2011, though, they converted to a home-based company (much to my delight). I was one of the first to sign up to represent the products as an A Muse Studio Creative Consultant! How exciting! Today I had a little time to create samples using the awesome products received in my starter kit. Keep in mind that this is just a SAMPLER of stamps and accessories available. Check out my website to shop online or to learn more: www.amusestudio.com/lauraleland

Supplies: Cardstock - Lichen (green), French Roast (brown), Sugar (white); Ribbon - 1/4" stitched grosgrain in French Roast; Ink - French Roast; Stamps - Beautiful Botanicals 2 (branch) and Loving Memories (sympathy); Other - Twinkle Stickers and Flower (from Meadow Mix collection)

For the LOVE of border punches!

2011-04-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

As you probably already have realized, I am totally in love with border punches (and am not afraid to admit it). Yes, they do work fantastically for punch borders...as the name implies...but they are also excellent for creating accent pieces. One of my favorite techniques is creating a "background" by punching various styles in the same or closely related shades of cardstock. In a previous post, I used this technique on a scrapbook page using black on black. I love that look since it gives the page a textured feel while still being subtle and letting the picture(s) shine! I did a similar look on this card. This time, though, I used a much different shade of paper to punch the stripes thereby creating a more patterned background. Adding strips of a Basic Grey patterned paper also brought in some fun color and texture. I absolutely adore this look and will probably continue to use it for years to come! Plus, this is a wonderful way to utilize those scraps!!!

Love those Flowers! (#2)

2010-05-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the design is not too different from layout #1, but it's pretty cute in its own right. I used an overlay that I've had practically forever as the title. And to spruce it up without adding too much pattern, I used my awesome lace border punch. I'll warn you...using this punch requires getting tiny little punched out dots ALL OVER your workspace. But if you're like me, the more mess you make, the better the pages turn out.

Also, you can see I only used one of the flowers from the set on this one. It's probably my favorite design in the bunch. To add a little layer, I also diecut small circles and popped them up on mini foam squares. This allowed me to make the flowers more dimensional by pulling up the edges a bit before slipping the page into the protector.

Supplies: Paper - black cardstock (Bazzill), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), yellow/pink "painted" background (Basic Grey), pink floral (Crate), Misc. scraps for punched flowers; Accents - "Love" overlay (Creative Imaginations); brads (Doodlebug, Making Memories), photo corners (Heidi Swapp for Advantus); Tools - flower diecuts (Cuttlebug), circle diecuts (Nestabilities), lace border punch (Martha Stewart)

Flower diecut - two ways

2010-05-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

I love my Cuttlebug. Just love it. People may say that the Cricut machine is a better investment...but at less than $60, let me tell you, a Cuttlebug is SOOOOO worth it! And to show you what I mean, I'm showcasing two pages done with the same flower diecut set. I believe I purchased this set at Michael's with a readily-available 40% coupon. Probably ended up being $10 or less. Just think about the value per use of that! Awesome.

Anyway, saw a page in one of my Scrapbooks Etc. magazines - either last issue or the one before - where the page background was done in kraft and border punches were used (in the same kraft tone) to overlap and create a texture. Loved the idea and just had to try it. A muted black worked better for me with the colors in the photo, so I pulled out several punches and went to town. The trick is to make sure you have AT LEAST two sheets of the same tone. This creates the awesome dimension but in a super subtle way. I also cut some plain strips to mingle in with the fancy borders. Rather than some fancy embellishments which may have been a distraction to the super adorable photo, I used textured cardstock and my handy flower diecuts. For a little extra pop, I didn't glue the flowers done. Rather, I used brads to fasten them only in the middle and then tucked the edges up with my finger. Also, the one flower style comes with a background which worked perfectly to tie-back the black. All in all a super fast and simple page. So easy too!

Supplies: Paper - (black) My Minds Eye, (black cardstock) Bazzill Basics, (blue cardstock) Core'dinations; Tools - (flower diecut) Cuttlebug, (lace, double-dot border punch) Martha Stewart, (scallop with dot, deco-edge) Fiskars or EK Success?; Accents - (black brads) Doodlebug, (plastic letters) American Crafts

Stay tuned for page #2 using the same flower diecut set.

Ink-tastic!

2010-05-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of ink. The kind that gets all over your fingers...and inevitably your face and maybe even your clothes. And, no, I don't think it can only be used for antiquing; it's a simple addition to a page that just adds...that finishing touch. Inking works especially great with black and white or sepia-toned pictures. I'm not sure why except that perhaps it brings out the crispness in the photo. In any event, I used ink generously in the page below. My favorite (and BTW super easy) technique involves taking a sponge and dabbing it directly on the ink pad. Then take the sponge and rub it directly against the edge of your paper. Simple. Sometimes messy, but very easy to do. Usually I end up doing this on all the edges on my page. It's a little time-consuming, but very worth it. Trust me.

How completely adorable is this baby? I mean, really! And the page...pretty cute too, if I must say so myself.

Supply List: Paper - (Pink Floral and Off-white Damask) Crate papers, (Paisley/Floral) Basic Grey, (Teal polka dot) Bo Bunny, (cream cardstock) Michaels, (brown cardstock) Bazzill Basics; Accents - (Paper flowers) Martha Stewart, (pink gem accent) Prima Marketing; Tools - (border punch) Martha Stewart; ("little one" diecut lettering) "Jolly" by Quickutz; Other - (Ink) Staz On

Photo by Angi Randall

All in the Details

2010-05-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Detailed photos I promised.

Top photo: I must admit that I am crazy for KI Memories. Always have been. Though, sometimes I do find their products a little difficult to use. One example are these new plastic stickers...the sheet comes with several words and various pictures. The word I used below ("welcome") was actually included on a HOME sheet, but I thought it would work nice as a title. Kind of took my inspiration from the typeface you see in magazines and such and added a bit of flair by overlapping. I love the dimensional look it gives since the letter stickers for the "baby" part are actually a vinyl material too. It really pops off the page!

Bottom photo: I totally love the look of ribbon on a page, but have yet to find a super-duper way to adhere it. Whenever I attempt to use it, it ends up crooked, bent, wrinkled or otherwise mangled. My new trick...just use paper! I cut some strips on my paper trimmer and then using a sharp pair of scissors, clipped the ends at an angle or a w-shape. I cut a second shorter layer, using the end clipping technique. Since it was pattern-on-pattern, the cuts were difficult to see. I used some super cute square pop-ups to add some dimension and make the cuts more evident. I think if you didn't feel it or look ultra-close, you may just believe it was ribbon. Cool, huh? Oh yeah, and just love the monogram diecuts by Quickutz. You get several different fonts, sizes of one letter in the pack (Cookie-cutter style dies). My goal was to collect them all, but really haven't gotten too far. Luckily both Laura and Lucy start with an "L"...lucky girl!

Little Love

2010-05-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends in the world, Carrie, announced to us last year that she was having a baby. How completely exciting! When it was finally time for the baby shower, I knew the perfect gift. She loves the look of scrapbooking, but has tried it and just doesn't enjoy doing it herself. Why not give her an empty book and the gift of my time and talent? Perfect! And so Lucy was born March 17, 2010. Less than a week later, she was photographed by Angi Randall . Adorable photos, by the way! Perfect timing since I was headed off to yet another weekend at Greenhaven Retreat and I needed something inspiring to work on. (Those of you who are creatively challenged have just GOT to check this place out. The workroom is awesome: huge tables, brightly lit, comfy chairs, and Cricut and Cuttlebug machines to use! I would highly recommend this place. I even have a work room at home, but it seems when I set aside the time at the Retreat, I just get more stuff done. No interruptions. No feeling bad about not making dinner or doing a load of laundry. Just time for you and your creativity!)

Anyway, brought the pictures and a variety of embellishments, papers, and more. You see, I plan ahead by deciding the general idea of the page. Usually this means finding a magazine page to scraplift, picking out the colors/papers and grabbing various items I think might go well (like ribbons, stickers, brads, etc). I throw all this stuff in an Iris 12x12 scrapbook box and am set to go. Way easier than trying to bring your whole stash with! I'll try to log-in here and show you the pages through out the week. Below you'll see one with little Lucy and her dad, Steven.

When I was picking out the supplies for this page, I just wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was copying a page done for a little boy and his soccer pictures and was thinking the bright colors might be too much. Completely wrong! I love how the bright colors contrast with the black-and-white photo. And even though the patterns and colors aren't girly in the least, I think it works well as a dad and baby girl page. Realized again over the weekend how much I adore my Cuttlebug...used it constantly to cut out circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and various alphabets (including the monogram "L" above).

Supply List: Paper - Teal dot and yellow dot (Reminsce), orange dot (Scenic Route), green dot (Bo Bunny), cream cardstock (Michaels multipack); Accessories - white brads (Karen Foster), "welcome" plastic word (KI Memories), felt star brads (Making Memories), silver star "studs" (Colorbok), white lettering "baby" (American Craft Thickers); Tools - circles & scallop circles (Nestabilities), "L" monogram (Quickutz), scallop-edge border punch (Stampin' Up!); corner rounder (small-EK Success)

See post to immediately follow for detail shots of accents.

Over the River and Thru the Woods...

2009-12-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

A bit suprised at myself for never posting this page. I made it this past May during a scrapbooking retreat. This page was a give-away to my mother-in-law for her scrapbook album. I got the general plan for the page from Elizabeth Karchner...genius! I love the style of the page...the photos look framed and there's a clean appeal to it, but you can totally make it your own. I chose to include chipboard circles to denote their current address along with a cute little ribbon garden complete with chipboard flowers. Also loved that mixing and matching patterns and colors totally worked with the overall design.

Supplies:

Cardstock - (white) American Crafts; (brown) Worldwin

Paper - (words) 7Gypsies, (red/pink floral and teal/green pattern) My Minds Eye; (yellow pattern) K&Company; (multicolor pattern) Scenie Route

Accents - (chipboard number circles) Lil Davis; (chipboard flowers and ruler rub-on) K&Company; (green ribbon, chipboard "@") American Crafts; (word stickers) 7Gypsies; (heart chipboard, ghost clock, plastic letters) Heidi Swapp; (game spinner/brad) Tim Holtz; (plastic polka-dot circle) KI Memories

Tools - (scallop circle diecut) Spellbinders Nestabilities; (diecut machine) Cuttlebug

Fun & Funky!

2009-08-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ask me what my favorite scrapbooking magazine is and you're bound to get this answer...CK - hands down! It seems like my favorite pages are created from inspiration clipped from that magazine. Two columns in particular are sources of amazingness - "Studio A" and "Ask Lizzy". The page below was based on, ok virtually COPIED from, a page by Elizabeth Kartchner. It was just too cute not to recreate and add to my scrapbook!

Ultimately, one of my favorite things about Lizzy's designs is her use of color. She's not afraid of mixing colors and patterns. I think the variety adds real flair to a page and is also a great way to utilize those small scraps. I find that some of my favorite patterned papers end up on LOTS of pages this way...and that just makes me so happy!

The page design here was super simple. One photo - though the circles could be minimized to make room for two or three, some paper strips, and circles. I chose to highlight my photo with a frame rather than just a cardstock mat. I also used various border punches to jazz up the paper accent strips. I cut all the circles using my Spellbinders dies on the Cuttlebug machine; a couple were accented with scallop borders and three were accented with various floral accents. I love these flower stickers (from Scrappy Cat) because they're glittery and layered. Perfectly completed and ready to stick to your page! Finally, I wanted to add some journaling (not featured on the Lizzy original). I opted to cut a larger circle using the Creative Memories cutter to keep with the theme. Then just add a title and some cute flower brads for good measure. How much fun is that?!

Be Happy!

2009-08-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

I'm believe in the scrapbooking belief that recording moments is just as important as recording birthdays, holidays, and events. Sometimes the best emotions come from everday moments..and a picture snapped without staging. For this page, I wanted to document our life right now. Our goals and brief thoughts...and to just scrapbook a nice page.

I wanted to keep things neutral by staying with only a few colors. Because of the darkness of the photo, I chose a light teal. Not sure where the idea to cut the lace to fit inside the decorative stamp-edge paper came from, but just did it. Felt like it added just the right touch of texture and dimension. I found various accents that would match - rub-ons and gems mostly. I carefully accented the photo and title with the embellishments. Overall, I really liked how the page turned out. See my additional post for close-ups of the embellishments.

Be Happy Part #2 - Closeups

2009-08-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just some close-ups of the accents...

I punched circles using my infamous Cuttlebug and Nestabilities dies. Inked up the edge and popped up on dots. This accent is from a rub-on set purchased through the Scarlet Lime monthly kit (made by Pink Paislee). I added gemstones for a personalized look.

Here I wanted to show two of the other accents. The top left one features rub-ons from the same package as noted above. This super cute metal flower with gem was also supplied in the Scarlet Lime kit. For the subtitle circle, I diecut our initials using the "Sophisticate" Quickutz font on the Cuttlebug. The teal border under the letters was also part of the rub-on set.

The final accent is an amazing gem accent from Basic Grey. I love how the whole thing is ready to go...just peel and stick! It's so sparkling and wonderful. Bought some new pearl versions too...flowers, swirls, etc. Available now at Picture This! I definitely recommend trying them for a quick, easy, and beautiful page accent.

For product specifications, please contact me at laura.leland@gmail.com . I can usually identify where I got the product too...if you'd like recommendations, just let me know! Thanks for looking!

Still here...

2009-08-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you thought I forgot how to scrapbook...or upload to my blog. Something that kept me away for almost 3 months! Nope, just been busy is all. Enjoying the few months of nice weather we get here in Eau Claire, WI. But last weekend (in celebration of my birthday) my sister, mom, and I stayed the weekend at Green Haven Retreat. I enjoyed MANY hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking time and have some brand spankin' new pages to share!

This page was totally inspired by another Ali Edwards layout (featured in an old Studio A CK column). Loved the idea of making the background a TEXTURE rather than using color and/or pattern. Her layout used a black background, but I wanted something a tad more neutral - kraft was perfect. I started by diecutting varying sizes of circles using my Spellbinders Nestabilities dies and my Cuttlebug. Next, I gathered several pictures of Adam and I from different times and places in order to find a couple which were "croppable". These were also cut into circles using the dies. The main photo was originally a 5x7 print...however, it featured us holding our "mini bowling balls" which DID NOT evoke quite the right mood for the page, so I cropped it to be longer than it was taller.

Many of the elements were more trial and error than anything. I wanted to add pops of color and texture but not overwhelm the overall neutral feel of the page. I choose a Basic Grey pattern, a deep brown cardstock, and a bright pink cardstock to match both the colors in the main photo (i.e. my shirt) and our wedding colors (sort of the basis for the page). I kept the accents simple and consistent with circles, felt flowers, and brads. To add the final bit of dimension, all of the circles are popped up with foam squares. (This took a while! My secret to keeping the rows as straight as possible? I cut strips of cardstock and temporarily adhered them down, lining up the circles above them. When the row was done, I removed the strip and started a new row.)

Supplies:

Paper - (kraft cardstock) Papercut; (brown and pink cardstock) Bazzill Basics; (white journaling cardstock) Georgia Pacific (brown/pink pattern) Basic Grey;

Accents - (felt flowers) Stampin' Up!; (golden brads) Making Memories; (gemstones) Joann; ("us" acetate) Heidi Swapp; (gem flower) Kaiser Craft

Tools - (scallop and plain circles) Spellbinders; (funky circles and heart diecuts) Cuttlebug; (scallop border punch) Stampin' Up!

DIY accents!

2009-05-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so by now you've probably realized I tend to stick to pre-made, ultra-cute and easy embellishments. But...there are sometimes that I go out on a limb and MAKE MY OWN. I'm featuring two on the page below - 1) Center heart/key/lock accents and 2) Title block element (see close-ups below).

This was another instance where my Spellbinders Nestabilities dies came in handy! Seriously, there are NOT just for cardmakers...though they work great for that too ;) The base for my first accent was a layer oval/scallop oval cut in two different patterned papers. I popped up the entire piece with 3D dots. To create the accent, I took a glossy chipboard heart, concho-style "lock" and metal key accent. I played around until it looked right and attached them down with glue dots. The second accent came from the inspiration of the page which features rectangle blocks with houses and hearts. To recreate this image, I diecut a house using my Cricut Create and layered on multiple papers. Additional elements of this embellishment include a metal sticker heart and brass brads. I also wanted to include the title below the picture block. This was made by layering various patterns and cardstocks and then adhering down the chipboard letters. I used brads to accent the title along with another diecut oval/scallop oval to emphasize the "S" in the title. I added a tag to signify the date and a chipboard heart to tie everything together. Also note that I used both upper and lower case letters in the title. This isn't only a design-feature...I do it to save on letters!

Supply Listing:

Paper - (Craft cs) unknown; (teal cs) Worldwin; (cream pattern) Basic Grey; (red dot) Bo Bunny; (Home words background) Love, Elsie by KI Memories

Accents - (keyhole concho, key charm) Joann; (glossy chipboard hearts and chipboard letters) Heidi Swapp; (metal heart) Colorbok; (brads) Making Memories

Tools - (scallop border punch) EK Success; (house diecut) Cricut - Don Juan cartridge; (oval/oval scallop and tag diecut) Spellbinders; (photo corner diecut) Quickutz

Happy Accidents

2009-05-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

This page would be what Ali Edwards calls a "happy accident". You know...when something you don't plan on happening - does, but it turns out just fine. Yep, a happy accident. So here I was trying to pack up my stuff for my scrapbook getaway weekend. It was getting later and later and I still wasn't done. I wanted to bring with enough "kits" for about 8-10 pages and I wasn't there yet. So I thought why not bring this wedding reception photo. I haven't even started my wedding album yet...and no real plans in the near future...but have gathered and printed many of the photos. This one in particular seemed more about me and my friends having an amazing time and less about the actual wedding formality. A friendship page would be perfect. I took out my tote filled with wedding items...coordinating colors, embellishments, etc. Not much struck my fancy except for the 12x12 scalloped pink background and the light pink "frills". I love these pre-punched borders! I laid the accents and papers about, struggling to find a combination that I liked. And the time ticked by. I was getting nothing done. Finally, I started just pulling out various "frills" to see my choices. As I pulled them out I laid them down against the pink cardstock. Suddenly I realized it...this was it! Arrange the borders randomly across the bottom, overlapping the edges - super cute. From there, everything came together. I already had some flowers out and I laid them against the background...fabulous. Add some bling (of course!) and a brad and voila! Done!

I wanted to add a close-up of the title since I think the dimension really adds something cool to the page. These stickers are actually made out of vinyl - kind of puffy, kind of flat, really cool.

Supply Listing:

Paper - (scallop pink and plain pink cs) Bazzill; (white) American Crafts

Accents - (vinyl letters and stars) American Crafts; (bling) KaiserCraft and Heidi Swapp; (felt flowers) Stampin' Up!; (flower brads) Making Memories; (border strip "frills") Doodlebug

Tools - (corner rounder) EK Success

P.S. There's just something about adding rounded corners to a page. I thought it worked especially well here where there was a lot of circular repetition. Seriously, you could make this page in minutes! I did - under one hour once all was said and done (after the supplies were picked out, of course). Now that's good times!

One more thing...can you believe it? A Laura page without patterned paper?! It can be done!

Simple and Fun!

2009-05-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Another page created last weekend during my scrapbooking retreat. Been busy this past week and weekend so no new pages to post. Still have a few from last weekend though! (Told you I got a lot done...) This one uses lots of premade accents. Fast, simple, cute. Very me. Love to play with different color combinations too...particularily fond of the brown and bright pink combo. Added a little olive and seafoam green for contrast. Love to use my accents as color inspiration - perfect for photos with not a lot going on or featuring neutrals.

Wanted to include some detail shots so you could really see the accents. I really love the tone on tone look for subtle titles. This works particularly well with chipboard, plastic or even felt letters where the texture/dimension adds some impact. I also accented the title with some bright brads for better visability on the page.

Another favorite are the 3-d squares from Scrapbook Adhesives. I love raising up the accents (i.e. the scalloped circles here). I also created my own layered accents by punching butterflies and layering them, pulling up the top diecuts' wings. You'll notice I used this same technique on the Mother's Day card a few posts back. Would work great for flower punches too.

Supply Listing:
Paper - (brown cs) Bazzill; (white cs) American Crafts; (green lace) KI Memories; (pink dot) Diecuts with a View; (brown dot) Chatterbox
Accents - (pink brads) Doodlebug; (bronze brads) Making Memories; (border cs strips) Bazzill; (felt and leather floral accents) American Crafts; (clear scrolls) Bo Bunny; (chipboard letters) Heidi Swapp
Tools - (circle/circle scallop diecuts) Nestabilities-Spellbinders; (butterfly punch and border punch) Martha Stewart; (dot embossing folder) Cuttlebug

Kitties = Love

2009-05-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

I love my pets...three precious cats. Two are sisters and the third girl we got late last fall. They are all super cuddly and absolutely loveable! Almost two years ago I received the perfect wall hanging from my aunt, "Happiness is a home with at least one cat." How perfect is that phrase for a scrapbook page? I simply incorporated the number three since I can't imagine life without all of them.

This page came together pretty quickly. Bo Bunny has some amazing products now, including coordinating papers and stickers. They have designs to fit any theme with flowers, swirls and arrows too. I love that the swirls and borders come as stickers, making it super easy to adhere and layer. And how easy is it to personalize these by adding flowers, gems, brads, etc?! I also love that the papers are simple and neutral...double-sided too!

I saw a page in an old issue of CK with swirl rub-ons overlapping the top and bottom opposite edges of the page and thought, "what a cool idea". Here I applied the stickers to the top right side, cut off the excess and applied the remainder to the other side. I really love the color combo here too since it is fairly neutral and complements rather than overwhelming the photos.

Supply Listing:

Paper - (white cs) American Craft; (green dot) Bo Bunny (grey) Basic Grey

Accents - (swirl and border stickers) Bo Bunny, (metal heart) Colorbok; (all gems) Kaiser Craft

Tools - (label diecut) Spellbinders; (title diecut letters) Nutmeg by Quickutz; (pen) Slick Writer by AC

A Laura Original!

2009-05-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? A design all my own! The idea for this page came from a sketch I saw in Creating Keepsakes where all the photos were trimmed to circles. I liked the idea since it seemed fresh and unique...never done it before, in fact! So I pulled out my trusty EK Sucess Curvy Cutter and cut down all my pictures to medium-sized circles. I'm not great with tools, so I got some uneven edges on the circles. But no matter - this just adds character! I cut two additional circles for layering. I wanted to use bright fun colors to match the theme. One was very neutral - a way to soften the page (i.e. tan dot). One was bright and busy - to liven up the page (i.e. the red dot). The last one was in-between and a way to bridge the gap between the photos and the page (i.e. the green pattern). Since I wanted to use a fair amount of pattern without overwhelming the page, I opted to outline and accent the photos with the patterns along with bordering the entire page.

One of my favorite things about the page is the title which I've highlighted above. I bought these letter stickers in the Valentine section thinking they'd work great for other uses too. The glitter texture and cursive/serif mix worked perfect for the page. I also bought these gems in the bargain. The package actually came with 3-4 oval lines of gems. I simply cut the strand and used the large oval as a double under-score. And, of course, I needed a little paradise on the page and the ghost hibiscus worked perfectly.

Supply Listing:
Paper - (white cs, green pattern) American Crafts; (red dot) My Minds Eye; (tan dot) Scenic Route
Accents - ("happy me" bubble stkr) Creative Imaginations; (lemon button) American Crafts; (hibiscus and gem lines) Heidi Swapp; (glitter letters) Making Memories
Tools - (pen) Zig Signature; (circle cutter) EK Success Curvy Cutter; (dot with scallop border punch) Martha Stewart

Totally Love...This!

2009-05-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I went a little crazy this weekend... Bought a whole bunch of scrapbook stuff - including a lime green case for my Cuttlebug ;)...Had some wine and stayed up late...And scrapbooked 10 pages! Yep, about time for that! Enjoyed a wonderful catered weekend at Greenhaven Retreat with my mom and some friends. Loved it and am excited to go back! I hope to share with you some of the pages I created over the weekend during the next few days so remember to keep checking back for more!

This page is such a total scraplift. But what can I say? I'm good at copying so why stop now?! I totally love black and white photos because they allow you to use any (and ALL) color combos on your layout. Super fun! Plus, any time you add in photo booth pictures it's a real treat! Notice that instead of using all ribbon on the right hand border I mixed in patterened paper. This was a great way to use up my scraps. Also, incorporating the border punches with the paper gave the illusion of ribbon. Try it...you'll love it too!

Supply Listing:

Paper - (black cardstock) Worldwin; (orange lace) KI Memories; (orange pattern and green dot) Scenic Route; (black paisley) Doodlebug; (teal pattern) Basic Grey

Accents - (black/white dot ribbon) KI Memories; (yellow, green and blue stripe ribbon) Making Memories; (pink floral ribbon) Scrapworks; (green stripe) American Crafts; (red stitched ribbon) Doodlebug; (green floral and black rickrack) Craft Supply; (white flower) Heidi Swapp; (decorative eyelet) WER; (gel floral accents) KI Memories; (diecut label) Spellbinders; (marker) Zig Signature; (brads) KFD; (plastic letters) Heidi Swapp

Cuttlebug Challenge #29 - Mom's Day card

2009-04-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

So this challenge came at the perfect time. I actually had the perfect idea for a card...inspired by a design in last month's "Card magazine". Yesterday I turned this design into reality, creating a thank you card for my husband's grandma. Today, though, I used the same design to create a super sparkly floral MOTHER'S DAY card.

My inspiration was a card punched with various flowers and backed with ribbon. Those of you who know me probably also know that I love creating, but am not into all the work. (If that "easy" button from the commericials actually worked I'd be the proud owner of several!) Anyway, what could be simpler than punches backed with patterned paper?! It provided a similar look to ribbon but without the work.

With the last Cuttlebug challenge I discovered a new technique which I just love. Instead of embossing each piece, I run my layered creation through the machine all at once. I wouldn't recommend this if you have a super-thick design, but the above card has about two layers of cardstock and it ran through perfectly. I love it because the embossing is more defined too.

Card info:
I started with a 4 x 5.25 inch white cardstock scrap (by Georgia Pacific) and randomly punched out parts with my Martha Stewart flower punch (by EK Success). (This punch features all three flowers so for the two flower portions I lined up the punch with the edge of the paper so that the large part didn't get punched.) I selected some other papers - two patterned (pink-Making Memories; yellow-Basic Grey) and one textured cardstock (by Diecuts with a View). I cut these papers down to fit the punched shapes and adhered using regular tape to the backside of the card. Then the Cuttlebug came out. I ran the whole piece through - layers and all and actually ended up using the debossed side of the paper for the front of the card...no real reason except that I thought it looked nice (Floral Fantasy folder). I took some of the punch outs and used tiny zots to attach to the front of the card and accented with mini gems. You'll notice I peeled up the edges of the small adhered flowers for added dimension. I also added a larger gem to the four large punchout flowers for flair (gems by Kaiser Crafts). The final step was the layered greeting and butterfly. I used the oval and matching scallop templates from Spellbinders to cut the greeting tag. The "Mom" stamp (by Amuse) was stamped directly to the white cardstock using a Staz On pad. I used 3-D dots to pop up the greeting also. Finally, I punched two butterflies (Martha Stewart by EK Success) from the yellow pattern. The top butterfly was glued to the bottom one using a glue dot so that only the body was attached allowing me to peel up the wings to create more dimension. And it absolutely couldn't be complete with some bling (row of gems by Hero Arts). To finish, I backed the white piece with a layer of teal to offset from the white card base.

As for the matching envelope, I used a standard white A2. I cut a block of the textured cardstock and added a scallop strip to the top (border punch by Stampin' Up!). I accented with the same floral diecuts as used on the card. (Tip: Instead of using glue to attach the diecuts, I ran a strip of the patterned yellow through my mini Xyron machine to create a "sticker". I then punched the images and peeled away the backing. Permanent and ready-to-go!) I then added a faux envelope seal by cutting a circle and scallop shadow with Spellbinders templates. Finally, I added a layered butterfly. Also, all pieces were run through the Cuttlebug with the Floral Fantasy embossing folder prior to be attached to the envelope.

To enter your design in the Cuttlebug challenge, click here for more info!

Home Sweet Home Challenge!

2009-04-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Finally a day off and a little extra time for fun! Visiting Dawn's blog, I saw a super fun challenge on the Cuttlebug blog and decided to play along. So here's my version of the "Home Sweet Home" challenge. Visit the Cuttlebug blog for rules/instructions.

Wanted to use fun & bright colors for this challenge. Used three embossing folders - script, bird/vine, and bubbles for the accent pieces. Also snuck in a Cricut accent from the Don Juan cartridge (the house). I love that the Cuttlebug is so versatile and CAN BE used with Quickutz. I'm quite the collector of alphabets and love that one manual diecut machine can truly use them all!

Supplies:

Paper - (yellow) Worldwin; (teal/red) Diecuts with a View; (black) Rooney Printing; white (Geogia Pacific)

Other - (mini metal key) Tim Holtz; (red brad) Imagincse; (teal brad) Making Memories; (yellow brad) Karen Foster Designs; (black rickrack) Joann craft; (red dot ribbon) American Crafts; (scroll diecut, embossing folders) Cuttlebug; (diecut letters - Metro) Quickutz; (brackets & house diecut - Don Juan) Cricut; (scallop border punch) Stampin; Up!; (scallop square) Spellbinders

Thanks for looking!

Fun with Border Punches!

2009-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, the best two inventions for card making have been 1) the Cuttlebug embossing folders and 2) border punches. Cards are so simple and easy to make with these two tools! Love them both! Yesterday in an effort to get my mom more into stamping and cardmaking I did a "class" at her house and made these two cards. She's a beginner and we completed both cards in about 35-45 minutes. I wanted to use a variety of techniques including stamping, punching, embossing, and diecutting. See descriptions below:

Above: So simple and for any occasion! When I make cards I tend to start with a base, but not the actual card base (i.e. the green piece above). I do this so that if I add brads or other embellishments, I can attach them and the recipient doesn't see them in the inside of the card. I started with the green piece and ran it through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder. This is a white-cored cardstock as you can see above where I got a little overzealous and peeled away the top layer. Oh well...it adds originality! Then I stamped the floral in purple and punched with a circle punch. It's hard to tell in the photo above, but I added stickles to some of the pattern for a little glitz! This piece goes on top of a scallop cut - the entire piece is popped up with 3-D foam dots. I added the punched border to the bottom and overlapped with a piece of white cardstock - I thought this added a different look. Unfortunately, the text weight shimmer paper I used for the border doesn't show up as well as I had hoped, but I really liked this glittery addition too. Finish it off with a greeting tag and some ribbon and brads.

Love this cute wedding card. This design could easily be modified for any wedding colors for personalization. Simply adore the stamp set by Cornish Heritage Farms! Stamped the cake in black and adorned it with gemstones and a floral topper. You could easily add colored gems, if desired, or a heart brad at the top instead of the flower. The oval was diecut and embossed using a Spellbinders oval - LOVE THESE! A scalloped oval was cut to outline. For this image, I added 3-D dots below the white oval to pop up from the red outline. I stamped the "congrats" stamp directly on the card basis. The shimmer silver metallic was embossed using a new Spellbinders metal template. The image isn't as defined as with the Cuttlebug folders, but I love the subtle design. I punched a border using a Martha Stewart punch and added a line of ribbon for extra flair. This piece - the silver, black border, and ribbon are all on one piece which I then adhered to the front of the card. I use this technique so that I can wrap the ribbon around the back and tape it rather than trying to adhere it to the front of the card.

I would LOVE to see your border punch cards too! If you have made one or feel like you are up for a challenge, leave a comment along with the link to your card to this post. Spread the word! If I receive ten links, one randomly selected person will win a card kit which everything needed to make the two cards above - everything stamped, cut to size, and ready-to-go! Good luck and send me your links!

Premade Bliss!

2009-04-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

I love creating. I love making. But I also love premade. I would even venture to say buying some things premade saves a little money. For instance, the flower I used below came from a set by K&Company. This is a three-piece paper flower complete with a cordoroy brad. I'm sure the pack of six flowers cost me around $4, but -trust me- those jars of flowers are $7-8 and textured brads...you're talking $3-4 for a 10-pack. Money is definately not the main reason I buy premade though. I love using embellishments like this as a starting point - for color or texture inspiration. On the page below I started with the paper butterfly and worked backwards to find papers and other accents to match. It was just the inspiration I needed!

Every now and again I would like to feature products on my blog that people buy but never use. Maybe it's because you're not sure how. Or maybe it's because you need an example to follow. Well, here it is. Feature #1 for "Usual product, Unusually used". I love cardstock photo frames. Shimmery, textured, patterned...all of them. But I've personally always found it difficult to use them for the typical purpose - framing photos. So here I used them as accents. Really, they are the perfect way to showcase other aspects of your page too - papers, accents, titles.

"Bunny Ears" - by Laura Leland - 04/25/09

Supplies:

Paper - (white cardstock) American Crafts; (brown cs) Worldwin; (green cs) Close to My Heart; (green floral & brown dot) Chatterbox; (textured pink-peach) Basic Grey;

Accents - (photo frames) My Minds Eye; (brads-plain) Imaginsce; (bunny brad) Doodlebug; (flower) K&Co; (chipboard swirl & "e") Bo Bunny; (ribbon) American Crafts; (paper butterfly) Prima

Tools - (scallop circle diecut) Spellbinders; (swirl embossing folder) Cuttlebug; (Date and Title diecuts) Lyrical Letters - Cricut; (scallop border punch) EK Success

The kid in me LOVED coloring this!

2009-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

So I got these stamps from Stampin' Up! Super cute messy outline greeting stamps and have been waiting to use them. On Sunday (during my little card-making session), I finally broke them out! I love the versatility in stamping them in any color or in black and then coloring in. So fun. Great stamp set to match with patterned paper of your choosing too.

Just thought I'd make a simple card. Stamps, markers, a few tools and done.

Supplies:

Paper - (purple cardstock) Diecuts with a View; (white cs) American Crafts; (teal cs) Close to My Heart; (black cs) Papercut; (red dots) Scenic Route

Other - (markers) Close to My Heart; (oval scallop/plain) Spellbinders; (scallop border) Stampin' Up!; (brads - red) Doodlebug; (brads - purple) KFD; (diecut accents) Cricut Don Juan cartridge

Tip: I noticed that many of the shape diecuts on the Cricut cartidges are amazingly versatile! Perfect for home accents, scrapbook pages, and cards. Here I used a "snowflake" diecut as a fun birthday accent.

Love is in the air!

2009-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

My cousin just announced the date of her upcoming wedding. There was no engagement party and so I felt it was about time to send her a congratulations card. I didn't want it to be over-the-top wedding themed so I went with a nice love theme instead. I think these stamps are meant for a valentines day card, but they worked perfectly.

I absolutely knew what patterned paper I would use...this fabulous spring cloud paper (with shimmer!). I stamped directly on the background. It dried immediately since I used the Staz On black ink pad...using a dye or other pigment ink could have resulting in smearing due to the glossy quality of the paper. I colored the plane in using stamping markers and highlighted the greeting with the markers as well. Some brads and a scalloped border were added for good measure. Fun, cute, fast.

Supplies:

Paper - (red cs) Worldwin; (white cs) Georgia Pacific; (blue dot and cloud paper) Reminsce; (text weight metallic) Paper Cut

Other - (plane and greeting stamps) Amuse; (black ink) Staz On; (stamping marker - red) Stampin' Up!; (border punch) Fiskars; (oval/scallop oval diecut) Spellbinders; (brads) Karen Foster Designs; (diecut machine) Cuttlebug

A Card-Making Sort of Day

2009-04-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that Sundays like this one - cold and rainy - are absolutely perfect for making cards. Doing laundry, sweeping the kitchen, vacuuming...that can all wait for another day! Sundays are traditionally the day my husband and I head out to my parents for the afternoon (visiting and supper) so I packed up a few bags worth of supplies and off we went. I brought my new toy...a Cricut Create to show off. I had always promised myself not to buy one, not to get sucked up in the hype. But there it was...on sale at Michael's and under $200. And it was mine. Did I mention they have an AWESOME sale on cartridges right now too - $40 each! Anyway, I brought the new gadget out and showed it to my mom (she sooo wants one now too). And the cartridge that came with it, "Don Juan" has absolutely fabulous phrases for cards, i.e. Thanks below.

Nevermind that I bought these stamps several months ago at Picture This - they're still very cute and begged to be used. I used the idea on the packaging (sort of) for a card by layering the stamped images with scalloped and plain-edged circles cut from scrap patterned papers. This type of card would actually work out perfectly for just about any occasion. Really liked how the bright colors and design turned out. Yep, a card-making sort of day...more images to come this week of my creations from Sunday.

Supplies:
Paper - (white cs) American Crafts; (black cs) Paper Cut; (green pattern) My Minds Eye; (yellow and orange patterns) Scenic Route; (teal pattern) Basic Grey
Accents - (green and orange brads) Queen & Co.; (flower brads - white and teal) Making Memories
Tools - (diecut machines) Cuttlebug and Cricut Create; (Don Juan cartridge) Provo Craft; (scallop/plain circles) Spellbinders; (stamps) Hero Arts; (ink) Staz On; (border punch) Stampin' Up!; (flower punch) Martha Stewart; (corner rounder) EK Success

A quick card!

2009-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just enough time and energy for a quick card tonight.

Went out to dinner last night with one of my oldest friends and found out she and her husband are having a baby! How exciting! Getting home I decided I oaught to send her a quick card in the mail - just a bring a little joy and sunshine to her day.

Today I made it. I based the card upon a sketch from a previous CK magazine. I love to use scrapbook sketches for card-making too! Check out Becky Higgins' column in CK - each month she creates one card based on her sketch. Super cute! Anyway, pulled together scraps from my table...yes, these were all papers already out and cut up. Stamped this fun pregnant lady and colored in with markers. Added a doo-dad or two and done.

Supplies:

Paper - (white cs) Georgia Pacific; (teal cs) Bazzill; (teal dot) Reminsce; (pink) My Minds Eye; (yellow) Scenie Route

Other - (pregnant woman stamp) Amuse artstamps; (square scallop punch, scallop border punch, congrats stamp and markers - blue/pink) Stampin' Up!; (marker - yellow) Studio; (metal star) Colorbok - $1 at Joann's; (ribbon) Michaels; (oval and oval scalloped) Spellbinders; (corner rounder) EK Success

Hint: I love to buy my 8.5x11 white cardstock at Sam's Club. It comes in a huge pack - like 250 sheets - for under $10! Why spend more?!

Bits and Pieces

2009-04-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Another page with bits and pieces...this and that...fun and more fun! I love to search my supplies for perfect accents. It's like shopping again! I created this page based on another page by Elizabeth Kartchner...I love the way she incorporates shapes and color into her layouts. They always turn out so stylish and fun! Anyway, working on creating some pages for a scrapbook for my mom. Similar plan as for the mother-in-law: I'll create a page for major holidays and gift them to her.

I have about a million pictures from our trip to Las Vegas a couple of years ago, but didn't have the time or want to put in the effort to scrapbook them all. And since I wanted to make ONE page, not many, I decided to go for a more generalized concept - what a vacation should be. The journaling features many of the mishaps and adventures from this vacation in particular, but pretty much sums up all of our silly, dysfunctional Leland-family vacations.

I love the idea of the angle! It seems to add just the right flair. I also like to concentrate on 4-5 main colors for the page. As you can see the pictures didn't offer much inspiration. However, I remembered from the trip the abundance of the Southwestern colors: the blue sky and turquoise jewelry, the orange rocks and sun, the green evergreens in the mountains, etc and brought these colors in. I also just love my Spellbinders diecuts and notice that I use the circles and scalloped circles over and over...these sets are definately a GREAT BUY!

Supplies:

Paper - (turquiose) My Minds Eye; (white) American Crafts; (orange) Scenic Route; (green) My Minds Eye; (yellow) unknown; (orange) Stampin' Up!; (brown transparancy) Hambly

Accents - (chipboard circle words) Scenie Route; (felt flowers) Prima; (sun diecut) Cosmo Cricket; (deco eyelets) We R Memory Keepers; ("happy" plastic) KI Memories; (chipboard "L" and "4") K&Company; (chipboard "what a" and "should be") Heidi Swapp; (foam "family vacation") American Crafts; (cloud paper border) Sass-a-fras

Tools - (marker) Slick Writer by AC; (circle/scallop circle diecuts) Spellbinders; diecut machine (Cuttlebug)

It's a Colorful World

2009-04-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Gotta love these colors! How fun are these bright colors? I love the new line by Cosmo Cricket (Snorkel)...it's so bright and fun and summery! You can find it RIGHT NOW at Picture This too! Anyway, decided to start a holiday tradition for my in-laws by making a scrapbook page featuring one of the kids or grandkids for each holiday. My mother-in-law doesn't scrapbook, but I still think she appreciates the effort.

Found one of these pictures in a stack she printed for us and the other is one I took while babysitting. (This is my niece, Emily. Isn't she super cute?!) I was inspired by an absolutely adorable page made by Elizabeth Kartchner - check it out here. Since the colors in the photos were all over the place, I decided to use a paper with a lot of color too. Kinda bold, but I think it works.

Supplies:

Paper - (black scallop) Diecuts With a View; (white) American Crafts; (yellow hearts) Sass-a-fras; (stripe) Cosmo Cricket

Accents - (red buttons) Walmart; (green buttons) Oriental Trading; (teal buttons) K&Company; (yellow plastic buttons) ATD; (floss) Karen Foster Designs; (glitter chipboard flowers and butterfly) Paper Crush by Colorbok; ("happy" chipboard and "Emily" sticker letters) American Crafts; (lined stamp) Inque Boutique; (white embossing powder) Stampin' Up!; (journal box) Cosmo Cricket; (brads) Making Memories; (ribbon) May Arts; (rickrack paper border) Doodlebug

Tools - (border punch) Martha Stewart

Hippity Hoppity...

2009-04-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of "theme" pages. Sure, I scrapbook the holidays and birthdays and events, but not the same way as others. As with my other pages, I try to stick to the basics as far as supplies go - patterned paper, flowers, flourishes, buttons, brads, etc. In reality, I'm actually kind of boring since I use the same things all the time. I guess using them in different ways and seeing the different textures and colors is the only way I get around this and keep things fresh and fun.

This page took me about 1 1/2 hours. And that's pretty typical. I mess around with the accents and photo placement a gazillion times before adhering anything down. And usually I end up with a completely different page than when I started. For example, I started the page above with a yellow/white pattern and 3 6x4 inch photos. I knew I wanted the accents and photos to be arranged in a circle, but things just weren't coming out right. So, I cropped a photo and added another (after noting there was room since the photo was smaller). I also realized the yellow looked best right behind the pictures since they are a tad bit dark and found a brighter red/pink background instead. I was all about the felt flowers no matter what. I added gems and plastic swirls to form the circle. And I love these letters because they are fuzzy - matched the flowers and just felt Easter-y. Sure liked how it came out!

Supplies:

Paper - (red/pink dot, light yellow dot, red dot) Scenic Route; (yellow pattern) K&Company

Accents - (paper border) Sass-a-fras; (straight lines of gems) Hero Arts; (curved lines of gems) Heidi Swapp, (red/pink/plain yellow felt flowers) KI Memories; (yellow flower w/ gems) K&Company; (plastic swirls) Bo Bunny; (rhinestone brads) Making Memories; (5-stone brad) Creative Imaginations; (felt letter stickers) Doodlebug; (journal box) My Minds Eye

Tools - (marker) Slick Writer by AC; (scallop and plain circle diecuts) Spellbinders; (border punch) EK Success

No more snow! We want SUMMER!

2009-04-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Been too busy lately BUYING to actually do a scrapbook page...thinking about doing a little creating tonight though. From a past photo session I pulled this page - a classic. I love the design - so simple, so easy, so fun.

You could really create a page similar to this one but with more photos, less photos, two pages, etc. I think it would make a super 2 page layout too...one page full of pictures and patterns (wall-to-wall with no white space) and then one page like the one above. But anyway, just wanted to share this to remind everyone that summer will come...eventually. Love those late summer afternoons and evenings - BBQ's, drinking with friends, enjoying a camp fire. Such good times.

***Laura's quick tip: Something I learned a LONG time ago - to add quick dimension and texture, just add a little ink! I buy those round yellow sponges (i.e. from Michael's art department) and cut them into wedges. Snap the lid shut on your ink pad and press in to create a small pool of ink in the lid. Flip it open and dab the sponge in it and rub/apply to page. Love this!

Supply Listing:

Paper - (white) Bazzill; (patterned) Mod by Autumn Leaves

Accents - ("BBQ" title) Sticker Studio; (ink) Archival Ink by Ranger; (date stamp) Stampin' Up; (pen) Slick Writer by American Crafts

P.S. Didn't realize until now there were NO embellishments on the page. Just punched circles and photo corners from the patterned paper. Seriously...how easy is that!

I Wanna Rock!

2009-04-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

A little rock and roll...Okay, I was never a real fan of classic rock (I am getting there though). My husband, then boyfriend, IS. And he's totally obsessed with Styx! In many ways, it closely parallels my obsession with Keith. But anyway, we thought of making a fun weekend out of concert trip to Chicago. Stayed in the suburbs, but drove downtown for the big show. It was pretty neat - right on the lake. Thank goodness it was fairly warm out for a fall night! We had a blast and even though the pictures didn't turn out the best I wanted to make a scrapbook page.

As you can see, I used mostly smaller pictures. You'll note that even if your picture is fuzzy as a 4x6, it may be clearer as a wallet. I also wanted to include some memoribilia on the page: the ticket and a bumper sticker I bought at the show. I found a cool Basic Grey paper (the garbled green/blue) that I thought just rocked..and was perfect for such a page. Kept the colors matching for the rest of the page...I appreicated the ticket was in blue (which matched) and the pictures and sticker in neutral colors (which match anything). Most of my journaling is hidden on two tags "tucked" into the page. This is a perfect idea when you want to journal more but just don't have the space! I just really liked how this one turned out. A keeper.

Supplies: Paper - (grey pattern and blue/green garbled) Basic Grey, (black cardstock) Rooney Printing, (white cardstock) Georgia Pacific Accents - (file tab) KI Memories; (ribbon - stripe & stitch pink/black) American Crafts; (black stitched) May Arts; (sm star eyelets) Doodlebug; (sm letter stickers, silver brads) Making Memories; (ghost stars) Heidi Swapp; (staples) craft supply

My Little Family...

2009-04-01T10:54:00.001-07:00

My little family... Sometimes I feel a bit left out with all the pages everywhere of "real families" - mom, dad, and junior. But scrapbooking as single person (or as a married person with no children) can be fun too! I mean we're still a family right?! Below I included my little family (minus the current addition...Chowder, my new kitten). Again, this page was inspired by my favorite artist...Ali Edwards. See her version here. This page offered me the opportunity to try out some of my newest purchases...the EK Success curvy cutter, Martha Stewart border punch, and Cosmo Cricut diecut letters. I also incorporated some classic Basic Grey papers and used my Wishblade for a quick, custom title!

Some of my favorite things...mini bio's about everyone in the family. It may be a bit cheeky to write from the cats' perspectives, but I think it's cute! Also, love the personalization the page offers....in an instant you can see who and what it's about. Plus using the dates gives you a time reference. I definately think it would be fun to update/recreate this page on a yearly basis to show how people and things have changed in your life. Maybe look for a 2009 one to come....

Supplies:

Paper - (white) Bazzill, (patterned) Basic Grey

Accents - (chipboard scrolls, corners) American Crafts; (chipboard tag) Heidi Swapp; (gold snap) Making Memories; (diecut letters - 'FAM" & initials) Cosmo Cricket; (rub-on branches) Heidi Grace; (staples) craft supply; (ink) unknown

Tools - (diecut machine - lettering "MY" and "08") Wishblade; border punch (Martha Stewart); (circle cutter) EK Success Curvy Cutter

I (heart) accents!

2009-03-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love them, love them, love them! Can't get enough of them. Seriously...check out my basket sometime at any of my favorite scrapbook stores - gotta have everything chipboard, acetate, and sparkly! What I really do like about accents, though, is that a whole package can go a long way. A flower here, a flower there and you still have a bunch left. One of my favorite scrapbookers who has the amazing ability to use tons of accents without a page looking too busy is Jamie Waters. She's been featured in Scrapbooks Etc, Creating Keepsakes, and at 2Peas. Seriously...check out her layout gallery - it's so cute and bright and fun. Just makes you want to sit down and scrapbook!

Here I took some inspiration from her pages in one of my all-time favorite CK articles, "10 Fast and Fabulous Designs" (March 2007 issue). Layered and mixed and matched until things just "felt right" Think it turned out absolutely adorable. Guess it can't hurt there's a cute and snuggly kitten on it! Anyway, love the look and wanted to share. (P.S. This is a great way to go through your stash and use up bits and pieces of things.)

Product Listing:

Paper - (kraft) Papercut; (pink hearts) Making Memories; (pink swirl) KI Memories

Accents - (white paper ribbon) Doodlebug; (paisley rub-ons) Paper Studio; (heart/circle stickers) Heidi Grace; (paper flower, rhinestone brad, translucent photo corner, "adore"/"sweet" word sticker) Making Memories; ("S" ghost letter, ghost heart) Heidi Swapp; (button) My Minds Eye; (heart brad) Queen & Company; (foam title) American Crafts

Tools - (pen) Zig Photo Signature

Spring Fever

2009-03-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

I love mini golfing. I might even go so far as to say it is my favorite summer pasttime. What could be better than spending a warm, sunny day out on the greens, navigating obstacles, trying to teach your significant other than you are a force to be reckoned with. It really is the best. I created this page in order to remember all the good times Adam and I had mini golfing during our days of dating. The Dells, Green Bay, Edina, Chicago, even right here in Eau Claire (Action City, of course!)...we've golfed them all!

One of the things I love most about this page is how easy it came together. I actually put this page together at a local scrapbook retreat, White's Wildwood Retreat. I had decided on colors, accents and the layout at home, packed everything up, and was able to complete the page in a short amount of time. Trust me, if you plan on going to a retreat, this is the way to do it! Hands down. Anyway, I love the layout style - bits and pieces of color and pattern. I used a fairly monochromatic scheme which helps keep the focus on the pictures. I love the title...including the brads on the dots of i's - doesn't it remind you of the colored golf balls? Another thing that I just love is the subtitle ("Seriously the best game ever"). I think subtitles like these really bring together the story of the page. When people are flipping through your scrapbooks, they may see the photos but not the stories. I like to add lead-in's like this one - I think it encourages people to read on and really feel the story. Love that about scrapbooking...telling the story. Anyway, just wanted to share this burst of summer fun on a spring-like Sunday. Have a fabulous day!

Product Listing:
Paper - (green background, green floral, green plaid) KI Memories; (yellow) Basic Grey; (Purple cardstock) Bazzill; (white cardstock) Georgia Pacific
Accents - (rub-on words) Basic Grey; (sticker photo corners and border) KI Memories; ("mini golf" title) Reminsce; ("madness" title and purple brads) Doodlebug; (green swirl brads) Queen & Co.; (white letter stickers - subtitle) Making Memories
Tools - (corner rounder) EK Success; (marker) Slick Writer by American Crafts
(Inspired by design in CK magazine - June 2007)

About Me...About Time!

2009-03-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

I totally believe in the idea of scrapbooking about yourself. How often are YOU actually in the pictures? I've noticed that as the scrapbooker in the family, I sometimes get missed in the photographs. Granted, I've been scrapbooking since I was about 12 years old and thank goodness my Mom learned that I loved getting my picture taken - so she's been a big help in having pictures of myself in my scrapbooks. Another fun part? I thought what better way to showcase my personality than by using accents I truly love. So, after finding the perfect patterned paper, I started grabbing for my favorite accents...felt flowers, "ghost" shapes, and chipboard. And used my favorite colors of course too (pink and lime green!). So much fun.

And, on another note, sometimes it's just fun to dig out random pictures. I have taken up the Stacy Julian approach to photo storage (at least I'm in the preliminary stages of adopting this approach). Seriously...if you have not read her book, I would recommend it. Her methods are tremendous. Check it out - it may just change your perspective on photos.

I took a closer up view of the page here so you can see all the dimension. I seriously LOVE dimension. Oh, and forgot to mention this is another page inspired by Ali. Check out her post from today...mix and match accents. Love it!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the new My Minds Eye papers. Saw them on the website at Picture This and went to buy some immediately. There's two great lines - both of which are showcased on my blog. The colors are bright and fun. I'm positive you can find photos to go with any of them. Very cool. So now. So spring. So had to buy them all!

Product Listing:
Paper - (white) Georgia Pacific; (multi-color circle) My Minds Eye; (light yellow dot) Scenic Route
Accents - (pink gel flower, pink plastic letters, green brackets, "ghost" heart; white chipboard flower) Heidi Swapp; (pink felt flower sm) KI Memories; (sm circle bubble stkr) Heidi Grace; ("Happy" chipboard) Scenic Route; (layer felt flower, flower button) K & Company; (mini button) American Crafts
Tools - (pen) Zig Photo Signature; (border punch) Martha Stewart

Copycat!

2009-03-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Just another copycat. That's me. Sure, I have an original design every now and then. But I find the simplest way to get my creative juices flowing (and to have a page actually get DONE) is to find a page and copy it. Most of the time it's not an exact replicate, but copies some or all of the page elements (like the layout, the colors, the embellishments, etc).

On this one, I just LOVED the layered butterflies. While I didn't have the felt ones like Ali (hard to believe...gonna have to pick some up next time I'm at Archivers), I made what I had work.

Supply List:
Paper - (red stripe) Crate; (tan dots) Scenic Route; (teal w/ red dots) My Minds Eye; (black damask) KI Memories
Accents - (journal/accent blocks, red felt flower, puffy letter stickers) Making Memories; (acetate butterflies, teal felt flower, white paper flower) Heidi Swapp; (patterned brads) Bo Bunny; (chipboard polka-dot buttons and silver chipboard flourish) Colorbok; (chipboard butterflies & mini heart, printed quote) K & Company; (gem) Kaiser Craft; ("everyday" stamp) Technique Tuesday; (ink) Stazon; (marker) Zig Photo Signature
Tools - (scallop border punch - no holes) Stampin' Up!; (scallop border punch w/holes) Martha Stewart; (corner rounder) EK Success

My inspiration...from the March 2009 Studio A column of Creating Keepsakes. Note the layered butterflies on one page and the shaped paper accent on the other. Copied a little here, a little there to make it completely my own. Thanks for the inspiration, Ali!

Another take...

2009-03-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Knew I could find one. This is another example of the same layout style...same sketch, new result. Again, I used multiple patterns...my signature ;)

One thing you may notice about my pages is that I don't usually use "cute" embellishments. Sure, I may buy them...and collect them...but rarely use them. Here I bought them on purpose. We had just gotten a new Wii (a wedding gift to ourselves) and brought it along for the family Thanksgiving celebration. It would be perfect - a page to celebrate the joy of Wii bowling! These adorale and perfectly themed diecuts from Pebbles were just the ticket! I also took a trick from Stacy Julian's "Big Picture Scrapbooking" idea book. Loved her page using magic mesh...yes, magic mesh. (Remember when you just had to have the stuff?!) Anyway, just wanted to prove the point that one layout can be used multiple times without feeling old or repeated. Pretty cool concept, don't you think?

Product Listing:

Paper - (green lined & green plain textured) KI Memories; (dark green pattern) Scenic Route; (white) Bazzill

Accents - ("wii" chipboard letters") Chip Chatter; (green mesh) Magic Mesh; (plastic star "play" and paper arrows) Heidi Swapp; (diecut acccents) Pebbles; (rub-on letters) KI Memories; (star brads) Close to My Heart; (star eyelet) Making Memories; (arrow journal stamp) Autumn Leaves; (ink) Archival by Ranger; (pen) Slick Writer

An oldie, but a goodie.

2009-03-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

When I find a style or layout design that I particularily like, I tend to repeat it. I originally started off my layout with more pictures, planning to do a collage (similar to the "Art Fair" page by Ali in the April CK). When I discovered that I didn't really have enough pictures...or the right kind of pictures (landscape vs portrait), I had to switch it up. This layout design is one of my favorites. And for good reason. It's simple. It's stylish. You can jazz it up or leave it simple. It's just classic. 3 pictures, 3 grids - it's a simple as that. You can rotate it too if your pictures run the other way!

I wanted to make a page that showcased the photos - I really think this worked out. And, yes, another page where I use multiple patterned papers (my favorite!). And I used one of my favorite techniques - layering. I like to collect every clear acetate/transparancy accent I can get my hands on. Frames are no exception. I have quite the stash and was able to pull out three that matched not only my pictures, but also the patterns I had chosen. It's a subtle accent that I think really jazzes things up. Also, on this page I was ALL ABOUT the pre-made accents...nothing fancy. Also love the look of mix n match titles. Not only does it look cool, but you can save on your alphabets and have more for later!

Product Listing:

Paper - (teal starburst, green/white dot) Crate; (tan dot) Scenic Route; (green/brown dot) My Minds Eye

Accents - (transparancy frames and diecut scroll) My Minds Eye; (journal box, silver brads, and tags) Making Memories; (chipboard buttons, felt flower) KI Memories; (chipboard title letters) Basic Grey; (letter stickers and button) K&Co; (white flower) Prima

Tools - (dot embossing folder) Cuttlebug; (pen) Martha Stewart

Note: I'll try to find another example of this same page layout for my post tomorrow. I'm sure I'll find a repeat somewhere! Also, check out my new feature - Ask Laura! on the right-hand gadget bar of my blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

How to...

2009-03-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

When I worked at Picture This the question/comment I received the most related to patterned paper. What do I do with it? How do I use it? Is it too busy? I keep buying it but never use it!

Yep, I here you. I am a patterned paper fiend. You ask anyone...of all my supplies, the quantity of patterned paper I own is ridiculous! So why do I keep buying it?!?

Many reasons...
1) It's the cheapest supply out there. Most accent and embellishment packs cost upwards of 4 bucks. Stickers? Atleast $2. But paper, now that's usually less than a dollar!
2) I love to use it. Just test me. Check out my scrapbook pages on the blog. What's the item I use on every page? Patterned paper, of course!
3) It's the most versatile product out there.

And that last point is where some would disagree. But, hey, that's just because you haven't considered the possibilities. Patterned paper is more than just the background for a page. It can be the accent...a block here, a circle there, or even a punched flower. It can be the title...stencil and cut, diecut with a Cricut or Cuttlebug. It can be a photo mat...cut a little bigger than the photo or diecut into a frame. My favorite use? Accent piece. A bit here, a bit there. Mixing and matching patterns. Cut into a border. It's what I live for!

Just take a look at the page here. Took this idea straight from Becky's column in the April CK. I almost always use white, black or brown as my background. It leaves me free to use color almost anyway I want for my accents and embellishments. Here, I chose a brown which loosely coordinated with the pattern I chose. No particular reason for this pattern. I pulled out a few sheets of paper I liked and thought this one worked the best. I liked the colors and the pattern was just the right size. (The size of the pattern can make using pieces rather than the full sheet tricky. You need it big enough to be noticed, but small enough so that when you cut it up you can still tell what the pattern is.) Here, the paper is a modified photo mat.

With black and white photos the possibilities are endless since anything matches. So here, I pulled some of the colors from the paper for my accent colors...you'll have to look close to find the red, but it's in there. Besides, I always think yellow and red look good together!

Supply List:
Paper - (browns) unknown; (white) Georgia Pacific; (red) Stampin' Up!; (paisley pattern) American Crafts
Accents - (chipboard heart) Heidi Swapp; (green paper flower and white paper ribbon) Doodlebug; (chipboard title) American Crafts; (lg white flower) Making Memories; (deco eyelet) WER Memory Keepers; (brads) Imaginisce; (rickrack) craft supply; (marker) Martha Stewart
Tools - (paisley embossing folder) Cuttlebug; (label diecut) Spellbinders; (border punch) Martha Stewart; (corner rounder) EK Success

2009-03-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Simplifying...

In most cases I have found the old saying "less is more" to be absolutely true. And it sure does seem to apply to scrapbooking as well. My favorite scrapbook artist when I first started was Becky Higgins who is known for the art of simplicity. Take a look at her books, "Sketches" (several volumes available), or her monthly article in Creating Keepsakes. Now, though, I do appreciate the complexity of some other artists like Ali Edwards and Elizabeth Kartchner.

So...when it came time for me to FINALLY get a page done, (it's been forever since I've really sat down and scrapbooked) I relied on the art of simplicity to get me through. I really feel that starting off with the right foundation can get you going. Which is why I used a classic base...used frequently by Ali and Becky. Just 4 blocks - using pictures and paper. The perfect start. I chose the busiest paper first (the floral and paisley print by My Minds Eye). Then I dug in my patterned scraps for matching accent patterns. Next, I worked outward, taking each block separately. I pulled out some accents that worked with the paper I chose. That's definitely one thing you'll notice about me. I'm a sucker for the generic products. Letter stickers (of all shapes and colors), plastic or chipboard flowers and shapes, brads, and diecut labels/journaling boxes. Show it to me and I'll buy it! I like to scatter accents around my worktable, trying this and that until it feels just right.

I like to make my accents work together which is why I chose flowers and plastic - notice I used these same items on two of the blocks. For the block with the busiest paper, I left mostly accent-free...just journaling. Don't get me wrong, I love to use the computer for journaling. But sometimes I'm just too lazy. Plus a little handwriting here and there makes it so much more personal. And that's just about it. I popped up two of the blocks, added a little ink to the edges, and done.

Product Listing:
Paper - (white) The Papercut; (orange) Scenie Route; (yellow) unknown; (paisley/floral) My Minds Eye
Accents - (chipboard flower, "BFF" clear letters; clear flower) Heidi Swapp; (sunflower button) American Crafts; (sun bubble sticker) KI Memories; (brads) Doodlebug; (diecut journal labels) My Minds Eye; (title letter stickers) Making Memories; (marker) Slick Writer - AC; (ink) Archival by Ranger

GO FISH!!!

2009-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

Best fishes!

I originally bought a really cute fish stamp to match this saying...but then I found a Cuttlebug fish die that would work perfectly! How cute would this be as a birthday card for a little fish-lover?! And, seriously, if you don't have a Cuttlebug yet - GET ONE!

I thought the bubble embossing folder would work PERFECTLY for this card. I wanted to give the impression of a fish bowl and seriously how cute are the goldfish? Also, to mimic the breathing bubbles I used eyelets filled with stickles for a glittery effect. Unfortunately this doesn't show up well in the picture, but trust me it's sparkly and adorable!

Supplies:

Cardstock - (black) Rooney Printing; (aqua) Diecuts with a View; (orange) Stampin' Up!; (white) Georgia Pacific

Patterned - (stripe) Scrapbook Wizard

Other - (border punch) Martha Stewart; ("best fishes" stamp) Amuse; (ink) Staz On; (orange paper border) Doodlebug; (circle and scallop circle diecuts) Spellbinders Nestabilities; (eyelets) Making Memories; (sparkle) Stickles; (fish diecut, bubble embossing folder) Cuttlebug

Tip: Be sure to keep all your scraps! I made this entire card from my scrap bin! I keep clear 12x12 containers for all my patterned leftovers and a 12x12 file sorter for all my cardstock scraps (cs sorted by color). Since I often only use a strip or a chunk of the paper, I keep the rest for future cards and pages. This particular striped paper is OLD! Like 4-5 years old to be exact. But it's still cute and the colors worked great for the card. And one other tip...don't limit yourself to one particular card style. Like scrapbooking, cardmaking styles vary a ton. I make elegant cards and cute cards...and everything in between. It's fun to mix it up!

An apple a day...

2009-02-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

another "Amusing" purchase...

Gotta love the cuteness of Amuse Art Stamps! I passed this stamp up two weeks ago, but just had to buy it on my last trip to Picture This. I'm under the impression it's a good idea to "collect them all"...I'm getting close too! Loved the in-store idea of glittering up the apples, so I brought out my Martha Stewart glitter AGAIN. Super easy, super cute...all you need is a fine-tip glue pen.

A little up-close action...I used a Staz On black ink pad for stamping the apples. This is definately my favorite kind of ink pad since it absolutely won't smear! I used a watercolor pencil for the "core" and a dove blender pen. Add some glue and glitter and voila! Cute little apples! See supplies listing and tips below.

Supplies:

Cardstock - (black) Rooney Printing; (white) Georgia Pacific; (red) Worldwin

Patterned - (red stripe) Doodlebug

Other - (paper border) Doodlebug, (assorted ribbons) craft supply; (red brad) unknown - purchased at Down Memory Lane; (ink) Staz On; (stamp) Amuse

Tools - (circle and scallop border) Spellbinder Nestabilities

Tip: Can't say this tip is all mine 'cause I got the idea from the Amuse card on display, but...what a cute idea to separate the saying on the stamp from the image. This is super easy too. I actually flipped the stamp over and carefully inked the portion I wanted. Another option is masking off the unwanted portion of the stamp with masking tape. Yet another option is using stamping markers to color the selected area. In any event, you can get double-duty from your stamp! Wouldn't the image above be perfect for an apple orchard or fall-themed page? I just love stamps because of their versatility! Thanks for looking!

Operation Scraplift: Ali Edwards

2009-01-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

A little scraplift from my favorite artist....

Just browsing through my January 2009 issue of CK (p. 54) and found the perfect page to make my own. I have always love the pocket page idea. It's a great way to sneak in tons of fun embellishments without making the page feel cluttered. I loved finding little bits and pieces of things to use on the page. So much fun!

Supplies (there were a ton!):

Cardstock- (reds) Worldwin; (white) Georgia Pacific

Patterned - (black lace) KI Memories; (hearts) Cosmo Cricket

Accents - (paper border) Doodlebug; (rub-on scroll black) MAMBI; ('love' chipboard circle) Scenic Route; (chipboard circle and mini flower) K & Company; (acetate half-circle) Little Yellow Bicycle; (chipboard man/woman) unknown vendor purchased at Picture This; (chipboard heart, acetate letters, acetate heart and butterflies) Heidi Swapp; ('kiss kiss' stamp) Amuse; (ink) Staz on; (chipboard #2) 'Lil Davis; (ribbon) KI Memories; (brads) KFD; ('celebrate life' stamp) Ali for Technique Tuesday; (plastic dotted accent) Making Memories

Tools - (swirl and dot embossing folders) Cuttlebug; (scallop circle diecut) Quickutz

Tip: As a former baseball card collector I had a good supply of card protector on hand. These will come in handy for all my upcoming pocket pages! If you aren't so lucky to have a baseball card fetish or a 10-year son, you can purchase a stack of these type of pages at your local retail store (i.e. Shopko, Wal-Mart, etc). For the page above, I simply cut the protector down to a 2x2 piece to fit my page. I attached the protector with double-stick tape, but some other fun options would be sewing or stapling the pockets down.

Lovely Layers!

2009-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

A bit of time to be creative...

I finally got a little time this week to do my favorite thing in the world...create! With busy season underway, my life has been all but consumed by work. I was able to get away early on Thursday and after an inspiring trip tp Picture This, I went home to play. In the spirit of Cuttlebug fever, I created a brand new card!

Supplies:

Cardstock - (tan, dark pink) Worldwin; (green, aqua) Close to My Heart; (white) Georgia Pacific

Accents - (layered flower) American Crafts; (flower brads) Making Memories; (saying stamp) Printworks; (heart stamp) Stampin' Up!; (brown ink) Stazon; (clear ink) Versamark; (clear embossing powder) Ranger; rickrack (unknown)

Tools - (swirl, leaves, and dotted background embossing folders, ring diecut) Cuttlebug; (scallop circle and circle with dots) Quickutz; (scallop border punch) Stampin' Up!

Tip - I love the sanded look that's OH SO EASY to acheive with the Cuttlebug embossing folders. Simply use a white (or color core) cardstock, emboss in the machine and then sand to reveal. Another of my favorite things right now is layering. I actually was inspired on this card by the designs of Elizabeth Karchner. She uses amazing color combinations on all her projects! I also love how she combines the look of pre-made embellishments with handmade ones. Here I stamped and embossed the heart, created a layered center block with embossing, stamping, and sanding, and then added a pre-made layered flower for good measure. The perfect mix of creativity and pre-made fabulousness!

Thank You mini card

2009-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

My new toy at work...

While I have never had any intention of buying the Making Memories tag curler, I just had to have it after seeing some super cute new offering at Archivers last weekend. So, with my 40% off coupon in hand, I headed to Michaels. I finally got the chance to try it out this weekend. I just reached for a loose piece of ribbon and grabbed one of the plain "thank you" tags that came with the curler. Voila! The tools is actually super easy to use and makes projects way cuter than I had anticipated. Definately a good buy!

Supplies:

Cardstock - (pink, tan) Worldwin; (blue) Bazzill; (black) Rooney Printing

Accents - (black corners) Canson; (ribbon) American Crafts; (metal tag) Making Memories; (paper flower) Doodlebug

Tools - (tag curler) Making Memories; (corner rounder) small EK Success

Not really any tips on this one. Just a simply card whipped up after testing my new toy. Guess it CAN be that easy to make a quick card. Made this one a bit smaller than normal too - about 4.25 x 4.25 inches. Thanks for looking!

a "sweet" card...

2009-01-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

Just in time for V-day, some ultra-cute stamps from Amuse! (Amuse Challenge post)

I just love the cuteness of Amuse art stamps! Who wouldn't?! Thought the ice cream cone would be perfect for a V-day card...sweet and pink and everything. This card turned out to be more of "no particular occasion" card, but I love it just the same!

Supplies:

Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (pink) Worldwin; (black) Rooney Printing

Patterned - (black lace diecut) KI Memories; (pink polka) Bo Bunny Press

Accents - (black rickrack border) Doodlebug; (gems) Kaiser Craft; (glitter) Martha Stewart; (watercolor pencils & blender pen) unknown; (pink rickrack) Doodlebug; (pink dotted ribbon) Michaels; (stamps) Amuse; (ink) Staz On

Tools - (swirl embossing folder & diecut machine) Cuttlebug; (ovals and scallop ovals) Spellbinders; (corner rounder) small EK Success

Tip: The biggest tip I can offer for this one is to just PLAY! I knew I wanted to use the ice cream cone stamp and picked out a few papers for the card. I ended up using two of the papers in the end and just played until I ended up with a card I really enjoyed. I even changed the size of the card after it was half-way done! Don't be afraid to do and re-do.

Calendar Favorites

2008-12-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

My sister and I have an annual christmas tradition of creating calendars for each of our grandparents. This year I opted for a 12x12 calendar and decorated the pages with some of my favorite scrapbook designs. I plan to post many of the pages (likely in separate posts).

January
Supplies:
Cardstock - (black) Rooney Printing; (white) Bazzill; (silver metallic) Papercut; (teal) Stampin' Up!
Patterned - (stripe and pink dot) My Minds Eye; (green dot) KI Memories; (metallic snowflake) Reminsce; (red dot) Scenic Route
Accents - (photo corners) Heidi Swapp; (chipboard snowflakes) American Crafts; (gems) Kaiser Craft; (scalloped and plain circle dicuts) Spellbinders - cut in Cuttlebug machine

February
Supplies:
Cardstock - (red scallop) Diecuts with a View; (Dk Brown) Bazzill; (Lt Brown) Worldwin
Patterned - Pebbles Inc
Accents - ("You & Me" rub-on) Stampin' Up; (scallop chipboard) EK Success; (heart sticker) Pebbles Inc; (clock accent) Heidi Swapp; (silver brad) Making Memories; ("remember" stamp) Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday; (ink) Staz On; (ribbon, staples, button) unknown; (label diecut) Spellbinders - cut on Cuttlebug machine

March
Supplies:
Cardstock - (all) Bazzill
Patterned - (red swirl) My Minds Eye; (teal with white flowers) Making Memories; (floral pattern) American Crafts
Accents - (border punch) Martha Stewart; (flower diecut) Cuttlebug; (gems) Kaiser Craft

April
Supplies:
Cardstock - (black) Rooney Printing; (white) Bazzill
Patterned - (grey/white floral) Basic Grey
Other paper - (vellum) Papercut
Accents - (diecut border) Quickutz; (paper flowers) Hero Arts; (gems) Kaiser Craft; ("love" rub-on) Stampin' Up!

Some of my favorite things....
January - love the look of the layered papers! I actually already have a page almost identical to this one in my scrapbook, so I scraplifted myself! I love the ability to use scraps to create a wonderful page. Plus I love mixing and matching the different paper brands.

February - I had to enlarge this wonderful picture of my Grandparents to match the valentine theme....let's face it, my grandma's lime green striped shirt just wouldn't have matched my paper/accent choices. I love the look of the 8x10 photo (cropped slightly for design purposes).

March - I love the effect of the Cuttlebug flower. Got the popped up and layered idea from Dawn at Picture This who had used it on a card. Also, thought it was the perfect accent since the diecut matched the design in the paper so well. I mimicked the paper design with gemstones. I think it turned out great.

April - Since this was a great picture, I didn't want to detract by using bright colors. I kept it simple with neutrals. Found the perfect Basic Grey floral pattern that was both elegant and simple. I love the effect of the diecut border - the intricate border matched perfectly with the swirls in the paper too.

Let it Snow!

2008-12-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

I finally got started on my Christmas cards for this year. Decided I might try to do a few different styles...this is just #1. We'll see how far I get!

Supplies: Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (blue sparkle) Bazzill; (teal) Stampin' Up!; (metallics-text weight and Mirrorcard) the Paper Cut Patterned - Basic Grey Accents - (gem stones) Kaiser Craft; (silver paper border) Doodlebug Tools - (border punch) Martha Steward; (circles and scallop circles) Spellbinders; (scroll) Quickutz; (snowflakes and snowflake embossing folder) Cuttlebug; All cut/embossed with Cuttlebug diecut machine Stamps/Ink - ("let it snow") Amuse; (black ink) Staz On

Tips: I love the sparkling blues associated with winter and decided on a snowflake themed card. I love the look of the mirrorcard...I think it adds a little dimension and a lot of elegance. When using mirrorcard to cut shapes I've found that running it through the machine twice will get you a much cleaner cut. Also, I love the look of the metallic cardstock. I used the text-weight variety for much of the card making it much lighter and keeping the cost lower. Many styles and colors are available at Picture This - I keep a small stash of these on-hand for any occasion cards too. One last note: I love Staz On ink! It allows for a very clean stamp and will dry (and not smear!) on just about any surface. Here I stamped on metallic paper which has a slick surface. It was dry within seconds!

Think Pink! (Christmas, that is)

2008-12-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

What can I say? I'm a fan of those nontraditional christmas colors...pinks and teals and browns... Just another way to make a unique and memorable card.

Kept it simple...based on a card made by the talented crew at Amuse Art Stamps.
Found the idea on display at Picture This.
Close-up of the tree. I used my all-time favorite Spellbinders diecuts...of the oval variety. Love the look with the embossing too! The Cuttlebug rocks!
Also decided to add a little sheer snowflake - diecut from heavy-weight vellum. A subtle accent piece with a little bling.

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (shimmer pink and white, vellum) The Papercut
Patterned - (plain pink, pink swirl) Basic Grey
Accents - (star gem) Me & My Big Ideas; (pink gem) Kaiser Craft; (pink glitter) Martha Stewart
Tools - (flourish tree stamp and "Merry Christmas" stamp) Amuse Art Stamps; (ink) Staz On; (border punch) Martha Stewart; (scallop ovals) Spellbinders; (snowflake diecut & swirl embossing; machine) Cuttlebug

Tip: Sometimes instead of using another paper why not use vellum?! I think it adds a subtle texture and color to any project. Here I used it to punch the accent snowflake and also layered as part of the card - note the top of the card with the dotted border. It's tricky to attach vellum though (without showing). I layered the "title" on top of the vellum which allowed for a place to put my tape. Just placed a strip below the title block and it holds the card perfectly together.

2008-12-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Just a fun page...wanted to incorporate the colorful paper to express the fun night we had at Shanghai Bistro for my sister's bachelorette party.

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (black) Rooney Printing; (all others) Worldwin
Patterned - (dots) Stemma; (stripe and plastic black swirl bkgrd) KI Memories
Accents - (brads) Making Memories, Queen & Co., Doodlebug; (chipboard letters) American Crafts
Tools - (various circle diecuts) Spellbinders; (scallop border punch & swirly tag punch) Stampin' Up!
Other - (marker) Zig; (ink) Staz On; (swirly tag w/stripes stamp) Stampin' Up!

Fun facts: Love this new paper by KI Memories! It's called "Sheer Delights" and I just had to have some after seeing it in Creating Keepsakes magazine. (See all the styles here.)

Tip: Sometimes making your own accents can be just as fun and effective as buying! Here I made my own layered circle diecuts using various circle dies and accenting with brads. Since the colorful paper is so busy, I thought that just about any other themed accent would get lost in the mix. Super easy! Layered sequins would be another fun option. Also, I based the layout on a sketch contest at a local store. See the sketch here - notice I had to flip the page to fit my pictures. Just a little improvising, but the same idea!

Margaritas Anyone?

2008-12-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

Some more adorable Amuse stamps! Saw them...had to have them! A perfect cheer up card!

Supplies:

Cardstock - (white - for card backing) Georgia Pacific; (black) Rooney Printing; (green and pink) Bazzill for KI Memories

Patterened - KI Memories

Accents - (glitter) Martha Stewart; (gemstone brads) Making Memories

Stamps - (margarita glass and saying) Amuse Art stamps

Ink - (black) Staz On; (light green) Ranger; (dk green) Close to My Heart

Tools - (scallop border punch) Stampin' Up; (scallop and plain circle diecuts) Spellbinders; (dotted embossing folder) Cuttlebug; Cuttlebug machine

Tips: I saw this idea at a local store (Happy Stampers)...loved the idea of using glitter to mimic the salt on the rim of the margarita glass. This is super easy to do with a glue pen and plain glitter. To add some extra shimmer, I embossed the green scallop circle using the Cuttlebug. I then stamped the pattern with a glue pad and sprinkled glitter over the top. When using an embossed pattern, you're never really sure where the glue/glitter will stick, but this adds to the fun! You may notice that I also REALLY love my spellbinders dies. These are perfect for layering! Available at Picture This or Happy Stampers in many sizes and shapes! Try them...you'll love them too!

P.S. Notice that I cut the cardstock lengthwise to create a tall flip-up style card. It's super fun to switch up the size and shapes of your cards.

Hello There!

2008-12-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

Always on the look-out for cute stamps...no matter the occasion! Wanted to create a fun and colorful card perfect for just saying "hi"!

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white - for card base) Georgia Pacific, (black) Rooney Printing
Patterned - (all) KI Memories
Accents - (patterned square diecut) KI Memories; (black rickrack paper border) Doodlebug; (gems) Kaiser Craft
Stamps - (phone and "hello there" saying) the Cat's Pajamas
Ink - Staz On
Tools - Cuttlebug machine and funky circles die

Sideview: I popped up the phone/saying block with foam squares for added dimension. I also like how the circles are layered and overlapped creating a textured card front.

Tips: I love using Staz On ink! It's perfect for slick/shiny surfaces like this diecut by KI Memories. A clean stamp with no worry of smearing. I wanted to create a simple and cheery card without a lot of work...the Cuttlebug was just the ticket! I used one die to create all these circles! I punched out the three colors - one circle each and overlapped the various layers in a haphazard pattern to get a neat textured look. I loved the pattern - doodles - because it reminded me of the phone cord on the stamp. I added black gems for just a touch of bling. Lots of fun!

Quick Pic - Chowder

2008-11-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

The newest family member - Chowder. I was scanning through my recently uploaded photos and ran across this one. She's such a cutie! Just loungin' on my desk while I was studying and doing bookwork. I love my kitties!

My Style

2008-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

This page idea just came to me one day...I was actually at work thinking about how cool my new glasses were. Very retro, very trendy, so very me. Why not make a page about these very facts!? So I did. And incorporated some of my favorite colors and textures. Definitely qualifies as a biography page - these types of pages are really neat to look back on.

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (pink) Bazzill
Patterned - (teal pattern) Basic Grey; (green lace) KI Memories; (floral) American Crafts
Accents - (journaling label stickers, frame diecut, felt flower, snaps, brads, button) Making Memories; (chipboard stickers - title) Heidi Swapp; (pen) Slick Writer by AC; (foam) Michael's; (scrappers floss) Karen Foster
Tools - (scallop-edge circle punch) Martha Stewart; (scallop-edge rectangle) Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Cuttlebug diecut machine

Tip: I love handwritten journaling. Sure, it may not look as neat and clean, but it does show your individuality. I think it's good to include on some pages as another part of the memory.

Tip II: Patterned papers are GREAT! I love the varieties - the colors - the textures! I love to mix and match. I learned a long time ago that a little paper can go a long way. That is, don't feel that you need to use the whole piece on one page. I love using a bit here and there. Hey, the piece lasts longer that way too! And never worry about matching the papers EXACTLY...you'll go crazy. I use the strategy "close enough" and it seems to work just fine!

Friends Always

2008-11-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Reprinted some photos from various events. Thought a friends page would be good. Opted to use a monochromatic color scheme due to the busy backgrounds/color combinations in the photos. Also another inspiration from Ali Edwards - July 2008 Studio A.

Above: Close-up of embellishments - used various items from my stash including mirrors, diecuts, glitter, and flowers.

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white textured) Bazzill; (white plain) Georgia Pacific; (aqua) Worldwin
Patterned Paper - (teal doodle) KI Memories; (white w/dots) My Minds Eye; (teal geometric and blue swirl) Basic Grey; (floral) Making Memories
Accents - (M&L, and "always" chipboard letters, mirror butterfly, felt flower) Heidi Swapp; (acetate swirl, clock, "friends" title) My Minds Eye; (photo turn) 7 Gypsies; (silver glitter brad, lg polka dot brad, journal spot) Making Memories; (rickrack border cut) Doodlebug; (glitter) Martha Stewart; (circle outline stamp) Daisy Bucket; (ink) Close to my Heart; ("sounds like fun" diecut) K & Company; (staples) Target
Tools - (scallop border punch) Martha Stewart; (scallop square punch) Marvy Uchida; (corner rounder) EK Success;

Tip: Using bits and pieces of embellishments I've acquired always makes me happy. I love the feel of a mix of items. I tend to "ground" the items by placing them in squares/circles and grouping them together for impact.

Hay There!

2008-11-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

What a cute stamp set! This is why I love card-making and especially love Amuse Art Stamps. I love how this card is simply and "udderly" adorable. Sorry, had to do it!

Supplies:

Cardstock- (white) Georgia Pacific; (black) Rooney Printing; (green) Bazzill

Patterned Paper - (green) Scenic Route

Stamps - (cow & saying) Amuse Art Stamps

Ink - (black) Staz On

Tools - (dots embossing folder) Cuttlebug; (scallop and plain circle diecuts) Nestabilities by Spellbinders; (corner rounder) EK Success

Other - popdots

So Happy Together

2008-11-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

Inspiration straight from the pages of Creating Keepsakes, Studio A column - October 2008. So simple to do - just find some scraps of matching papers and punch some circles. Cleans lines, but a homemade feel.

Supplies:

Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific

Patterned Paper - (red dot and multi dot) Scenic Route; (floral and paisley brights) Basic Grey; (ledger paper) Making Memories

Accents - (acetate heart) Heidi Swapp; (scroll diecut) Quickutz; (tab diecut) McGill; (stamp diecut) Cuttlebug; (heart brads) Queen & Co.; ("Time to be Happy" stamp) Penny Black; (foam alphabet) American Crafts; (flourish stamp) Inique; (ink) Designer inks; (marker) Tombow; (brass brads) Making Memories; (word stickers) Rebecca Sower for EK Success

Tools - (dotted border punch) Martha Stewart; (circle punch) EK Success; (diecut machine) Cuttlebug

2008-11-27T09:35:00.001-08:00

In spirit of the holiday...here's a Thanksgiving page I made last year. This was a great way to use some scraps and random chipboard letters I had left!

Supplies:
Cardstock - (orange) Close to My Heart; (green) Bazzill
Patterned Paper - (grn floral, stitched, stripe, orange geometric) KI Memories; (orange flower) Autumn Leaves; (red floral) Chatterbox
Accents - (photo corners) Canson; (brads and black letter stickers) Making Memories; (acetate frame) My Minds Eye; (chipboard letters and acetate word "grateful") Heidi Swapp; (stamp) Stampin' Up; (ink) Archival Ink by Ranger;

2008-11-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

Just a little blog to post all my creations. From cards to scrapbook pages to little projects, I do it all so long as it involves pretty paper and cute accents. Look for ideas and tips to come. If you like something, let me know. Thanks for stopping!

Splendiferous Day!

2008-11-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

A perfect pick-me-up card. Bright and cheery with a super cute saying!

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (brown) Bazzill
Patterned Papers - (teal) Daisy Bucket; (pink dot) My Minds Eye; (purple swirl) Provo Craft stack; (green lettered) KIMemories
Accents - (felt flower) Heidi Swapp; (pearl brad) Lasting Impressions; (glitter) Martha Stewart; (gem stones) Hero Arts
Stamp - (Have a spendiferous day) Amuse Stamps
Tools - (lace border punch) Martha Stewart; (heart die-cut) Quickutz; (die-cut machine) Cuttlebug

Tip: I just discovered the beauty of glitter! Martha Stewart crafts makes a great glitter set that has tons of colors and is available at a great price (less than $30). I got mine on sale at Michael's, but it's also available at Wal-Mart. To glitter the heart above, I simply traced the design with a fine tip glue pen and sprinkled glitter over the top. The glue pen is also available from Martha or from Zig.

Curly Label Thank You

2008-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

I just rediscovered Stampin' Up! and love their stamps sets, punches, and colors!

Card took less than 30 minutes too! A perfect little thank you - keep in mind colors and accents can easily be changed to match the season or recipient.

Supplies:
Cardstock - (white) Georgia Pacific; (green) Bazzill; (brown) Worldwin Papers
Patterned Paper - Chatterbox
Stamps - Stampin' Up! Curly Label set; (thank you) Amuse Art Stamps
Ink - Stampin' Up! Kiwi Kiss; (dark brown) Staz On
Accents - (leaf punch) Martha Stewart; (paper flowers and brads) Making Memories; (curly label punch) Stampin' Up!; (buttons) Basic Grey