Belle Papier {pretty paper}

….is SO much fun…..

Not!

“wook Mom…bue hair!”

Trust me…this is not as easy to get out as it looks!!!

45 minutes later and 3 bathtub fulls of water…we are all good.

…. Is it nap-time yet?

OK OK, perhaps a stapler is NOT a papercrafting “staple” but they are fun and work so well with trendy, office and shabby styles that I couldn’t resist using them for today’s Ways to Use It Challenge. Staples are great for office, shabby and lots of other styles too. You can use them to staple on ribbon and embellishments or just accent a section of the design. Transparencies are also great stapled on. I don’t have one but the Fastenator is a cool bar type stapler tool that some of you may wish to use. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with for this challenge. Last weeks paint ideas were fabulous! So pull out your stapler and join us at WT151 for a little papercrafting fun!

Survey says…Also of note on Splitcoaststampers… if you use their galleries and forums…be sure to take the time this week to fill out the survey! SCS is wanting to know what YOU think, what you love and what could be improved. Your opinion matters! Check it out at the 2008 Splitcoaststampers Member Survery

Hello Dear Friend

This darling little bird stamp is part of an Inkadinkado stamp set. The whole set is so trendy and just adorable…love it. My good friend Lindsey picked it up for me in Utah. She now has this set on order and I just know it will be super popular. I paired it up with some simple stamping and a fun mix of patterned papers. These papers are from the new Basic Grey Two Scoops 6×6 paper pad. To add color to my “flower trail” I colored them in with my Copic Markers and glitzed it up with some clear Stickles.

My sentiment is from the new Classic Essential Expressions from Cornish Heritage Farms. This set will be released on Friday. To add in some staples…I stapled on the Melissa Frances Vintage Trim and Prima Flower. It doesn’t show up too well in the photo but on the top left corner of the image panel, I decided to see how it would look if I stapled from the reverse side.

Have a great day and hope to see you having some stapling fun!

Supply List:

cardstock: Not Quite Navy - Stampin Up

Patterned Paper: Two Scoops 6×6 paper pad - Basic Grey

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink: Black Palette Hybrid - Stewart Superior, Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger

Other: stapler, circle punch - EK Success, vintage trim - Melissa Frances, Stickles - Ranger, markers - Copic, flower - Prima

This design was a really quick one using patterned paper…stamped on of course! I’m loving that look these days. This particular layout came from this week’s CPS sketch and I played around with it a little to create my own version. The original sketch doesn’t call for a center opening card but I thought that scalloped line would be a perfect place to split the design and use a different fold for a change. It’s just like barn doors. When folding your cardstock, instead of folding in half…fold your outer edges to the middle. I attached a little piece of Natural cardstock that I scalloped the edge on to hide the seam.

Flourished Friend

This design uses stamps from the new Rummage Bin line from Cornish Heritage Farms. Also new and to be released later this week, a wonderful new sentiments set by Lisa Strahl. I LOVE it and it is going to be my reach for set on almost every design. If you’d like to try out this sketch layout you can check it out at CPS49.

Supply List:

cardstock: Natural Smooth - Prism

Patterned Paper: Tres Jolie and Confetti lines - My Mind’s Eye

Stamps: Beautiful & Time to Stamp from The Rummage Bin line, Classic Essential Expressions - Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink: Burnt Umber - Stewart Superior

Other: eyelets - Making Memories, chipboard - Basic Grey?, brown corduroy brad - Imaginesce, Large corner Rounder (scallops) - EK Success, flower - Prima Marketing

Well…I’m feeling really out on a limb with this design. It was so much fun to create but I really stepped out of my box…OK OK I’m mixing my metaphors! You get the drift. You’re either going to like this card or hate it. LOL It’s taken me almost a week to get up the guts to post it. But I am…part of the thought behind my word for this year {embrace} was to try out new things. It’s fun!

Messy Hello

A really shabby funky painted look here that I’ve seen in some scrapbooking layouts. It seemed to go well with the new Ledger Me stamp set from the Rummage Bin line by Cornish Heritage farms. I LOVE the coffee ring and splatter stamps.

Have a fabulous day and stop back in tomorrow for the Ways to Use it Challenge. It’s an easy one for all to play.
Stamps:
-sentiment and coffee stains from Ledger Me stamp set (The Rummage Bin) by Cornish Heritage Farms
- flourishes from Beautiful stamp set (The Rummage Bin) by Cornish Heritage Farms
-Lined Paper Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
-Burnt Umber Palette Hybrid by Stewart Superior
- Watermelon & Cloudy Blue Adirondack Dye inks by Ranger

Cardstock:
-Prismatic White cardstock by Prism Papers
-Kraft cardstock - Prism

Tools:
-stapler

Accessories:
-button by Autumn Leaves
-flower by Prima Marketing
-flourish chipboard by Maya Road

Follow your dreams…a wonderful sentiment. We all have dreams, especially young women. I designed this frame for a romantic but up to date look as a gift for my daughter. She is a very patient girl. I created this in August and she’s still waiting for it. I know it will be arriving any day now as this design is published in the soon to be released in the new Paper Crafting with Photos special publication from Paper Crafts magazine. I just can’t wait to get a peek inside. I for one, do not use my photos enough! This magazine is to be released on February the 5th and is available to preorder from Paper Crafts magazine.

Follow Your Dreams

Wishing you a beautiful day and don’t forget to…… follow your dreams!

I’d never seen these Dahlia fold blooms before and as it was today’s technique challenge I just had to give it a whirl. Rummaging through my paper stash I found this beautiful My Mind’s Eye paper that I hadn’t used yet and thought it would be fun to do a vintage style design pairing it up with some new Rummage Bin stamps. These stamps are from the Beautiful & Art of Framing stamp sets and were fun to work with. For details on how to create the dahlia fold bloom…make sure you check out TLC153 http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319352

Live Laugh Love

I’ve had this beautiful journaling card by Fancy Pants Designs on my desk for a few days just waiting for a project. I trimmed it down a little and used a 4×9″ card format to still have room to show the patterned paper. After sponging the edges and stamping it…I planned where it would be adhered to my paper and then stamped some flourishes to embellish the paper surrounding it.

After creating the blossom as per the instructions…I have a tip for you. A double-sided patterned paper is perfect for this technique but I would probably use the lightest weight you can find. It is difficult to fold the heavier paper. To embellish the sentiment…a couple Creative Impressions brads draw your attention to it on the far side. Under my stitching at the top of the card, a scrap of crushed velvet ribbon by Making Memories and in the center of the flower…a My Mind’s Eye button tied with stitched ribbon and a little Creative Impressions safety pin.

Make sure you live, laugh & love today!

I decided to take a little time out last week to ink up some of my new stamps. This design used some great striped patterned paper that was on my desk and the new Silhouette Blooms 2 stamp set illustrated by Kim Hughes from Cornish Heritage Farms. I’d also been wanting to take some time to try out last weeks CPS48 sketch…a very simple design and give it a little twist. Instead of layering up…I layered down…punching out the panel to get a little peek at these pretty spring tulips.

Spring Thanks

It may be hard to see in this photo but is very evident IRL…to create the rectangular panel for htis layout, I punched out the rectangle from my patterned paper layer and stamped underneath on a white cardstock piece. It really gives the effect of a little peek at the flowers..a window if you will.

Quick Tip: When starting a layout using a sketch diagram…I try to look at it from a few different angles to see if something unique will pop out at me. Sketches can be altered to fit a square card format, turned on their side, upside-down or as in this case, layered down instead of up. I try not to look at the samples until after I’m done my challenge…I want to find my own inspiration first.

I also wanted to do something a little different for the patterned paper as well. While patterned paper is beautiful on its own…there are times when I like to have a little fun with it. For this panel, I stamped it with Burnt Umber ink and my favorite Spanish Script Backgrounder.

To make it easy to line up my stamping underneath…I just slid in a a small white cardstock panel with my stamping on it and adhered to the card base. A little freestyle stitching around the edges adds some interest and to create the leaf effect from the original sketch…did a little stitching up the left side of the window. When stamping my tulips with the ink, I used three different ink pads… Citrus Green, Salmon and Watermelon Adirondack inks. After totally inking the flower blossoms with the Salmon, I simply swiped the tips of the tulips with my Watermelon pad to get a two-toned look.

For my embellishments…a little strip of vintage trim by Melissa Frances (also known as Heart and Home), a Prima Flower and a little button.

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start! Take care my friends!

When I first saw the Basic Grey Rub-on Roller advertised just before it was released…I just knew it would be one of those things I would have to try out. I love using rub-ons in some of my designs and they are great for applying to a variety of surfaces. Depending on the manufacturer…some rub-ons can be more difficult to apply than others. Most companies include a little popsicle sticker to burnish on your rub-on transfer but these can be hard to hold and sometimes, do not rub smoothly. While Basic Grey rub-on transfers are one of my top faves for ease of use and application…I decided to try it out and was so pleased with the results.

On one end of the Basic Grey rub-on roller is a rolling steel ball end. It works fabulously for applying the transfers smoothly and it rolls very well. I had previously tried my Empressor embossing tool but found the rolling ball on that really did not roll well with rub-ons…better than a popsicle stick but still left something to be desired. The Rub-on Roller was easy and comfortable to hold and is of sturdy construction. I love tools that are functional, take up little space, are well made and yes…well-priced. On all four…this rub-on roller takes top marks from me. I’d definitely recommend it if you frequently apply rub-ons.

How to Use It (pics to be edited in shortly)

1. Carefully cut out rub-on transfer and remove backing.

2. Place transfer on desired surface.

3. Roll ball end of of Rub-on Roller over rub-on until transfered.

4. Flip rub-on backing (you didn’t throw that out did you?! ) and place over rub-on. Smooth and burnish gently with flat end of Rub-on Roller for secure application.

Where to Buy…

• I purchased my Basic Grey Rub-on Roller from Jacksonbelle’s ebay store.
• You can also purchase it on-line at other stores if you search
• Your local scrapbook supply store may carry this product.

{heart} U Forever

Actually while I was writing up this design…the sentiment got me thinking. I love your forever…reminds me of a darling childrens’ book that I used to read to my oldest children. I’m going to have to do some digging as I’m sure we still have it. I can’t remember the title but a beautiful rhyme in the story went like this…. I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living …my baby you’ll be. I know this is totally off topic…lol…this valentine is for my hubby. Notice how I tried to take a very pink paper line and make it more masculine by including lots of brown, black rub-ons and very green papers from the line.

This design uses the new Basic Grey Two Scoops 6×6 paper pack. Love those scaled down prints and other Basic Grey papers has that fabulous distinct look. A little distressed, a little fun, a little vintage, a little trendy. My first rub-on was placed along the top of my horizontal panel and is from the Basic Grey rub-ons line. I also purchased the new matching Two Scoops printed chipboard. This chipboard is so fun…already printed you can use as is, just punch, remove backing and adhere to design. No mess, no fuss. I decided to see how the rub-on roller would work for applying rub-ons to chipboard. Fabulous and fun…I added the black heart rub-on to my pink frame chipboard and a little fun flourish to my arrow.

Quick Tip: Don’t forget you can alter your printed chipboard if desired. I sponged this chipboard and applied rub-ons to it. You can also add glitter, bling, punch holes, stamp it, sand it…even cover it with paper if you don’t like the tones.

To finish off my design…some large antique copper brads from Creative Impressions anchor the pink chipboard and a little scrap of black gingham ribbon is tied to the arrow. I love my Dymo Label Maker for a quick sentiment addition…this time I added the word forever.

As rub-on transfer keep gaining in popularity with paper crafters… I know this is a fabulous tool that will be getting lots of use in the future. If you have any questions…feel free to ask them in the comment section and I’ll try my best to answer them by editing the answers into this post. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!

This is a super quick sketch for a busy Saturday. DH is working on the endless renovation again today while I suffer the worst sinus cold. For news on my craft room, it is slowly coming along. Now framed, insulated, the electrical roughed in and mostly drywalled…it is slowly taking shape. If we weren’t doing an addition and adding 3 other new rooms and a kitchen reno in the mix…I’m sure it would be done by now. Hubby says that waiting builds patience. I think I must be chock full of it by now as our entire 18 year marriage has been one long renovation! lol

Simply Sweet & Floral

I’m going to keep this totally short today and just give you the supply list. Oh…I guess I’ll tell you athree things. One…this How Sweet it is Stamp Set if a Stamps for a Cause set by Gina K to raise money for Diabetes. A darling set well worth your purchase. Two…the pierced line along the left side….I did it by sewing without thread. Super quick and easy. If you do this…try it out on some scrap paper first to get the stitch length you wish. Three…Copic markers. Love them and enabler alert… Ellen Hutson has some brand new sketch marker packs and individual marker colors. I just wasn’t able to resist.

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery - Stampin Up

Stamps: How Sweet It Is - Gina K

Ink: Black Palette Hybrid Ink - Stewart Superior

Other: sewing machine, markers - Copic, button - Autumn Leaves, faux rawhide cord - Dollar Store, flower - Prima, ribbon - Making Memories

I wasn’t go to post again today but…

I just couldn’t resist today’s Limited Supply Challenge…using up scraps and embellishments on your desk. Well…right now my desk is pretty much buried with stuff. So much for spending the entire day last Saturday trying to clean it up! I could easily make 30 cards with the amount of things I have out right now. Anyway…I DID limit myself to just making one before running out for my errands this morning. Want to play along…here’s the LINK to the challenge.

I also just thought I’d mention something…a friend and I were chatting yesterday and she didn’t realize that Cornish Heritage Farms has their own forums and gallery. They’re really worth checking out! Lots of great samples for all the new releases as well as  other designs and the forum is a great place to chat, find out what’s going on and learn some new techniques.

Live, Love, Bloom

This design uses the Silhouette Blooms 2 stamp set by Kim Hughes that was released by Cornish Heritage Farms this week. I think this pretty flower sprig is my favorite and I stamped it repeatedly here without reinking for a soft effect. The Spanish Script Backgrounder is stamped in Aqua Adirondack ink over the flowers for a little interest. Tiny Prima flowers accent the main flowers on this design and the centers are filled with some Liquid Pearls.

To create my background some scraps of paper from my table. Sorry…don’t know the names of the papers as they are just the scraps but…the striped paper is by My Mind’s eye and the punched scalloped paper I think is by Creative Imaginations. The little Maya Road chipboard frame is once again…painted with white paint. Can you tell I’m loving this look? The frame was then sponged and stamped with the Montana Tree Bark Backgrounder. The stamped sentiments also come as part of the Silhouette Blooms 2 set.

Now….I’m going to tell you a secret…it’s also my quick tip for the day…

Quick Tip: What started off as a mistake can always be turned into a design element. Sometimes those oh no moments can be turned around into a unique part of the design that you just would not have thought of otherwise. I had almost finished this design when I found out…yikes, I had adhered everything upside-down on the card! I almost cut the front off and then adhered it all to a new card base but instead…decided that the design would still work if I just rolled with it. I trimed 3/4 inch off the top of the card, added a little Making Memories dark rose colored clip and rounded the corner and voila…a fun look for my card that I will be trying again in the future. This time, on purpose.