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!!!

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...

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

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!

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

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...

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.