Another Christmas Page???

It actually doesn't look like Christmas but it is about Christmas. This is just some pictures of Poppy in her Christmas outfit when we went over to Grandma's to show it off. Papers and all accents by MME. Looking at this page I haven't done a torn matte for a long time. But it just went with everything else. The border along the bottom is part of a transparency strip I cut apart that MME makes and the clear dragonfly is cut out from the same border strip.

Scrappin' Christmas while it's still "Fresh"

To me anyway. This is the first page of the Christmas pictures I took. Honestly it's really good for me to be scrapbooking this Christmas a few months afterwards. Otherwise the pictures would go into the vortex of my computer files never to be looked at for another 3 years. So I thought I would try to get a few pages in before I start forgetting. And I do forget. I think I'm lucky to be married to someone like my husband that is practically Encyclopedia Brown.

I used some of my stash of Bazzil Bling paper and I found it flares when taking a picture so that explains the quality of the photo. I had to mess around with this in photoshop for a while to get the colors right. or close. I also have a stack of calendar paper by the Paper studio, I just cut this one down to get the dates right and fit it to the page. Stamps: Whimsical numbers by SU! and Headline Alpha and also calendar cues. Ink: Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi.

Manly Card Entry

(I apologize for the quality of the photo my other camera's battery died)

When making a card for Allison's weekly challenge, I decided to make sure I made something I needed in the near future. I'm sure you're all with me on the Father's Day thing. Anyway it's hard to capture a card that is my husband's style. He does graphic and web design, programming and is also the IT guy at work. He like video games and movies. Now when you see all of the stamp sets out there there aren't many that I think really apply to him.

Last week when we were in SLC he actually showed me these shrink stickers by Around the Block. He wanted me to buy the coordinating paper too. I know??? anyway I thought why not use them on his card. There aren't too many layers either because he is just a minimalist.

Paper: Basic Gray by Stampin' UP! and dp by K&co Amy Butler Lotus pack (I'm so in love with this paper!!!)
Stamps: Big Deal alpha by SU!
Stickers: Around the Block Gamer Shrinky Stickers
Ink: acrylic paint (just an experiment on opacity)

Scrappin' The same picture Twice

**Warning this post has very large font. It's not because I don't think you can read, I just couldn't turn it off.***

Since the kids have their own scrapbooks and I loved this picture, I printed it twice and made a male and female counterpart for this picture.

I was on a scrap spree for a while and this first page uses a bunch of stickers my friend was giving away. I got the idea from my friend Misty at Lil' Buck's Creations. She did the same on one of her pages and when I saw it I just logged it away in the idea file in my mind.

Most of the paper in both LO's feature the Magnolia line of MME. I really love the colors in this paper.

One of the funny things about this picture is this is the start of Ian doing the silly face in almost everything.





On the right is the page for Poppy's book I used another negative image left over from another LO's positive and used it as a frame. I kept this page pretty simple because I felt that the page was busy enough..... Although I think I might need a cluster of flowers at the bottom left corner the more I look at it. Or something.

Another blog candy Alert Lil' Deb has an amazing giveaway! So check out my latest post and then go right on over and leave your comment.

Graduation Cards x 2

My youngest brother graduated on Wednesday and I needed to make a card for him. I was having a hard time making sure it looked non-girly so I hit splitcoaststampers for inspiration. I found a great card and totally cased it. I'll post a link giving credit to the rightful owner of the idea when I find it again.

I also made a card for my mom and dad because this is their last kid (out of six) to graduate and I thought they deserved some credit for that accomplishment.

I printed the clip art on glossy photo paper and printed a second copy on regular paper. I cut out the feather section on the paper piece to create a mask. Then I sprayed my glimmer mist for iridescence and then brayered brilliant blue for more color.

If you don't have what you want -- Make your own!

I had this vision of some large candy canes for this page. I didn't know where to get any and I played around with clip art but finally decided that I had to make some. I pre-printed the title on Whisper White cardstock.

1. Free hand cut on typing paper a candy cane shape
2. Sponged with bashful blue
3. Stamped with real red craft ink with my Headline alpha letter "I" diagonally
4. Repeat. I used the positive image to mask with on the already "stamped" image.
5. I also added a little distressing with Bashful Blue ink on the whole page to add continutity of style.

A wedding card for Allison's Challenge

This weekend is my brother-in-law's wedding, we're going up to the Salt Lake area and I'm really excited that I can go to some of the awesome scrapbook stores they have there while I'm at it. They just have newer fresher products. I guess it helps that a lot of brands are based up there. My main concern is the weather.

On to Allison's challenge: it is to stamp images that you usually color in but don't. I've been trying to use all of the stashed scraps so I used some Wild Asparagus MME paper and a postage template I already had printed left over from a class. One of the stamp sets is Doodle That by SU from a mini catalog last year. And the other is by Quick Kutz Sophisticate. That is one of my only sets that has numbers! crazy! I layered two Primas and added a rhinestone brad.

Scrappin' Adorable

This is a page of Penelope aka Poppy when she was still a little baby. I've spent a lot of time working on pages with pictures I printed last month. So be prepared to see what I've done! The heart negatives are actually just leftovers from when I cut them out for another page on my friends Cricut. But I was looking at them and thought they looked cool all layered up.

These papers are from the MME Magnolia pack. You see me use a lot of these because I bought the gigantic packs when they were at Costco for $6 last year. I love the papers but we'll see if I'm capable of using all of them. The nice thing about it is I don't have to feel like I have to save it. The tag and flower & butterfly rub ons are also by MME. The Alpha rub ons are by American Crafts.

Color Challenge #8 *I'm batiking*

Today I was doing the usual blog browsing when I should be a) doing laundry b) cleaning up all of my stamp supplies that have taken over the kitchen the last couple of weeks and c) getting ready to go to my brother in law's wedding next week. I came across K Werner's color challenge and these colors just cried out to be batiked so I decided I just had to join in this time. I love that blog!

I obviously am not using my time wisely today just judging by the collection of techniques applied to this card. Techniques applied here: Bleaching, Embossing, Batik, brayering and sponging. I think that's all.

Here's the final product.

First off I made my batik paper with clear ep, white mulberry paper, sponges and Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie and VersaMark stamp pads.

Stamp images with VersaMark randomly around paper, stamping the larger images first. Make sure you memorize when you've stamped because it is hard to see where you went previously. You can always go back and stamp some more.

Pour clear (only clear) embossing powder over, remove excess and heat. The images appear clear when finished.

For the next step you will want to lightly moisten the mulberry paper with a wet cotton ball. This will allow your ink to spread better. Sponge colors onto paper with an up and down motion. Do not rub side to side, it will move the fibers around. Also make sure the ink gets around the images so they appear crisp.

Next you will iron out the embossing powder with the mulberry paper between two pieces of white computer paper. No print please. The computer paper will absorb the embossing powder. You will know it is done when the paper has no more embossed texture. The above image is how it looks when finished. *tip* if for some reason your mulberry paper gets stuck in between the computer paper just run the iron over one more time and immediately lift the top paper.

After the above process I like to mount the mulberry paper to a piece of white card stock for more contrast. Spray adhesive gives a light hold and doesn't soak through.


For the card base I wanted bashful blue but am sadly out so I used my handy brayer and made my own. Then I sponged some of the Brilliant Blue for cool watery look.

Another favorite thing to do is stamp with bleach. I just put some in a glass dish and paint it on lightly with a sponge brush. The picture to the right is me doubling up and making a father's day card too. Above after washing my stamps I just inked the edge with my SU markers and stamped again. also stamped the flower again w/ bleach.

Stamped in acrylic paint the get away w/ rough edges alpha.

Finally I needed one more touch so I inked the flower with versamark on whisper White and added a little touch of Pumpkin Pie around the edges before stamping. I embossed it and also the small flower in Pumpkin Pie (inked w/ Versamark + Pumpkin Pie again). No I'm not done yet. Lastly I sponged the Pumpkin Pie on the embossed image to color the inside stripe. Then I cut and layered the flowers.

Phew! But I like the final product.

Stamp Sets: Office Accoutrement, Headline Alpha and Rough Edges Alpha
Cardstock: Whisper Whit, Brilliant Blue
Ink: Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie and VersaMark

Yesterday's Inspiration and a Girls of the World Card

First off I want to show you the Girls of the World card I made for Allison's challenge this week. I chose the cutie pie from China. I hope I chose the right look. My first attempt at coloring didn't turn out that great because I wasn't thinking I just printed it on my inkjet printer. So as soon as I started water coloring she became muddied very quickly. My husband told me "I could have told you that" Thanks hon. so I had to print them at the office on the laser jet there the next day. It was worth the effort. I used my watercolor crayons by SU! I bought them when they came in the large set and it has been very handy. Skin-- Apricot Appeal, Dress-- Rose Red, Sky-- Tempting Turquoise, Grass-- Glorious Green, Flower & Cheeks -- Pink Passion.

This is the page I did last night. I bought this paper thinking I had a picture that went with it, but going through the files I didn't see anything so I decided Sunday that I would take some especially for Genevieve's book. My dad likes to take the kids to a park near my parent's house they call the "Secret Park" and I thought since she has a lot of memories with him there it was worth going to some effort to document it.

Paper by Creative Imaginations, and some cool Clear Tags and shapes by Making Memories 5th Ave line. (love these) Also used some rubons by Heidi Grace, they didn't show up as opaque as I hoped.
Finally for show & tell today I was messing around with clip art because of Allison's tutorial and I came up with this little Owl Family. The grouping I got the idea from my friend Misty, she made a little framed art representing her family and I just love it. I printed it on very vanilla and I am going to use this as a layer for a family picture scrapbook page. If any one would like the file contact me and I will e-mail it.

One final note: Deb Neerman wanted to know about the little bar with pictures in it by my comment section. Basically it is poll style commenting, for the lazy commenter, so if you can't think of something clever or feel like whatever you say sounds like a cliché then just click an icon.

This month's swap

The swap this month ended up being uneventful for me. I made the cards but was waiting for my husband to get home, didn't want to drag all 3 kids with me. I made it for the last 1/2 hour of the meeting, but most of the people had to leave early. I ended up with two swaps. Oh well.

Here's the details: I made the card 6 x 6 scored at 3", I used Beate's weekend sketch for the layout and A Beautiful thing stamp set (SU). Card stock Purely Pomegranate, Kraft, and Naturals Ivory. Ink Purely Pomegranate, Sahara Sand. Accessories ticket corner punch.

I am going to do Julee's Tag at Poetic Artistry:


1. Last music you listened to - Franz Ferdinand on Austin City Limits
2. Last thing you watched on TV - LOST
3. Last movie seen - Iron Man -- not bad for an action flick
4. Last book you read - Howard's End by EM Forster
5. Last person you spoke to - Weston my husband
6. Last thing you ate - a bite of a churro
7. Last time you laughed - listening to Poppy talking nonsense
8. Last place you visited - my family cabin in Pagosa Springs CO
9. Last web site you visited - My Minds Eye
10. Last thing you crafted/created - A set of cards for a swap yesterday

Smile -- Simple Page challenge

Robyn the The Pink Stamper had a challenge for National SB day to make a simple page that didn't require too much thought or complex layers etc. Here's what I came up with!

I used some of MME paper I've been hording and one of the journaling tags you can buy ready made. Ribbon is 5/8" wide grosgrain by SU Real Red. and I journaled along the bottom with American Crafts slick writer in light brown.

This page took 10 min max, idea brewing and all!

Five Little Pumpkins

I am one of those people that just scraps what grabs me. I've loved these pictures for a long time (taken last October) and finally got inspired with what to do with them.... So I took the chalkboard technique to scrapbooking and I wheeled on the design in whisper white craft ink and sponged on the Not Quite Navy chalk. Next I stamped my title the same way and added the Pumpkin Pie chalk and a little dab of Summer Sun as well. I'm not totally in love with the way I did the poem - white gel pen with marker over the top- but it has served me well in the past. But I'm not one to re-do unless it is a complete disaster. I just had to add the bird from spring solitude, it makes a great crow.

Card stock: WildWasabi
Ink: White Craft
Stamps: Spring Solitude and Autumn Leaves wheel (Holiday Mini 2007)

Bellows Bag

I ran across this tutorial on the Pretty Pressings blog. The template looks more complicated than it actually is. Great pattern for last minute gift packaging! So I had to try it out immediately. I guess it was lucky that I actually had time when I came across it.

The blue bag used some of My Minds Eye paper and scraps of SU. And the pink bag is made exclusively of SU Berry Bliss designer series paper. I decorated pretty simply mainly because I've been fighting a headache most of the day. I really can't wait for the winds to die down. They've been at least 30MPH and even up to 50 MPH this week. Ugh, will I never wear my hair down this spring?

Background Challenge

Another challenge of Allison's using background stamps.

Ok, I promise that I used a background on this card. In person it is easier to see but if you click on the image you will have a better view.

I used the SU! Linen background on the center piece with the flowers stamped on top of it. I was going for a stitched look. I stamped with Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise drew the stems and leaves with an Old Olive marker. Stamped on a piece of twill tape in Old Olive as well. The dp is My Minds Eye. I added a bit of dimensional paint and some bubble stickers in the centers of two of the flowers. Not quite Navy is the card base.

I think I could take the color scheme and change the images for a great masculine card.