Pamela's World of Scrap

We're Switching It Up!

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can't believe it is February! That just seems crazy to me!!!

Well over at Once Upon A Sketch, we are nearing the end of our first year and during this time we have noticed a huge amount of support from many countries around the world and we are incredibly lucky that our challenges are supported by so many people from all different parts of the globe. One of these countries is Greece, and we have come to realize that we receive many entries from such a small country where scrapbooking is so new, so we had a thought and decided to team up with another challenge blog based in Greece and run by OUAS' own Irini Liolia called Get Creative. How exciting!! We have decided to become "sister" blogs, because let's face it...most of us scrapping are women and is there anything stronger than a sisterhood? So for this month only, the Design Team from Once Upon A Sketch are guests over at Get Creative and taking part in their 1st and 15th of the month challenges and the Design Team from Get Creative are guests on Once Upon A Sketch! Thus a new bond is formed between 2 challenge blogs.

Here is the sketch that the Once Upon A Sketch Design Team had to follow. It is created by Get Creative Design Team member Elina Katechi.

And here is my take on the sketch...

Everything comes from BasicGrey's Kissing Booth collection. :) And yes...I used it for a BOY layout. :)

Here are some close up's of my layout:

So head on over to the Get Creative blog to see what the rest of the Design Team created and to find out what prizes etc are up for grabs and then visit Once Upon A...Sketch to see the February 1st challenge.

Skipping Stones Sketch and Fancy Pants Wave Searcher

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!!! Thanks for stopping in today. I gotta admit, I have been SUPER busy for awhile now, and things are finally slowing down. I plan to enjoy that. :) Dreaming of curling up on the couch with a good book. We'll see how things go.

Anyways...

Today is my last sketch as guest designer over at Skipping Stones Design. Here's the sketch I came up with:

And this is the card I created...it is a little bit different.

The stamp set I used for this card is called Uplifting. And the papers and chipboard are all from Fancy Pants Designs' new Summer Soul collection.

Come play along with this challenge here.

** And just in case I haven't mentioned it before, you do NOT have to have any Skipping Stones Design stamps to participate in the sketch challenge. So come play with us! :)

And now I have some more new Fancy Pants projects to share. Yesterday we featured the Wave Searcher collection on the Fancy Pants blog. Here are a couple projects from me:

I really love the way this layout turned out. Pulled out my good and faithful circle punch once again. :)

Here are some close up's of my layout:

And I also have a cute card to share that uses this collection. :)

Make sure you stop by the Fancy Pants blog to see what others have created with this cool collection. :)

And for those of you who watched the Bachelor last night...did you even see that coming? Maybe it was just me, but that girl was my favorite. Hmmm.... Do you guys watch The Bachelor? Just curious.

Have a FANTASTIC day!!!!

What's Up?

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Umm...clouds, birds, airplanes, blimps, hot air balloons....

Do you love these things as much as I do? And put these with some fun, pretty colors and you've got one of BasicGrey's new collections called "What's Up?". And oh how I love it. :) It does also include some ships, as well as flowers, chevron and other pretty designs so it can be used for so many projects.

And have you seen BasicGrey's frames that they sell? They make some that are perfect for altering. Here's some coordinating frames that I made for CHA using the What's Up? line.

I created a similar chevron pattern with punched squares on my large frame to match the chevron design on the smaller frame. Here's a close look at the bigger frame:

And a closer look at the smaller frame:

I really do love this collection and I can't wait to play a bit more with it. :)

Hope you are having a fantastic day!!! If you are checking in from CHA...lucky you. I am not there this time (but that is ok). I do hope to see lots of pictures from the show...so if you know of some, link them up please!

Summer Studs

2012-01-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am sharing a couple of projects using the new Summer Soul collection from Fancy Pants.

But first I just have to share with you that when I showed Austin this layout, his face just lit up! I love that! He was thrilled that I called him a stud. :) It's those little things that really matter.

He IS a stud! :)

So is his brother.

Anyways...on to the layout, right....

I just love that Fancy Pants has brought stamps back into their collections! Those sunbursts along the top and the bottom right are stamped. :)

Anyways, here are some close up's of my layout:

And then I have a card to share as well. But if I'm honest, I am not entirely happy with the way it turned out. Oh well, right. Here it is:

Stop by the Fancy Pants blog today to see more projects made with this fun collection! :)

Happy Friday!

Patchwork is FUN!

2012-01-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ok...so if you have paid any attention to my work at all, then you probably have noticed that I love to use patchwork designs. So I was thrilled when I found out that this week was going to be Patchwork Week on The ScrapCake's blog.

Here's the layout that I created for Patchwork Week:

Instead of just making a background of squares, I tried to mix it up a little and make it slightly different than my typical patchwork layouts...thus the blocks of four 1" squares with the space in between each one.

I used the fabulous "The Bright Side of Life" collection from The ScrapCake for this layout.

Here are some close up's:

I made that "Sleepover" title with my Cameo. And then added some fun stitching to my title. I love the way this layout turned out...it's very me. :)

I hope you are having the best of weeks! Thanks for stopping in! And I will be back tomorrow with more new Fancy Pants! ;)

Fancy Some More New Fancy Pants Projects?

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

You ready for some more? :)

Well today we are featuring projects using the brand new Childish Things collection from Fancy Pants. Make sure you stop by the Fancy Pants blog too to see what the other designers did with the collection.

Here's what I did...

I loved this paper that I used for the background and couldn't wait to use it. I really love the way this turned out. :) Here are some close up's:

I can't tell you how much I LOVE that picture I got of my mom! It's just totally her. :)

Here's another layout, and before you ask, yes it is from the same collection. Completely different look though. :)

What a girly, fun layout. This collection is absolutely perfect for Miss Eryn. :) I was originally going to do a patchwork design on the background, but then made the decision to just scatter a few of the squares on there for a much more random look. And I really like it! Here are the close up's:

And then I also have a card to share using this fun collection...

You can tell that I love those adorable boys and girls with the crowns...I used them on all three of my projects. :)

Well, thanks so much for stopping in today!!!

Have a fantastic day!

Skipping Stones Designs Sketch

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well it's Tuesday again...and you know what that means! Another one of my card sketches is up on the Skipping Stones Design blog. Here's the sketch:

And here is the card I made using this sketch. :)

I used the beautiful Always Here stamp set and a little bit of the Grunge 2 stamp set. My papers come from the new Be You collection from Fancy Pants...yep, the same collection that I shared a bunch of projects using it yesterday. :) I'm still playing. Can't put it down.

I do hope you play along with this week's sketch, go here to play along. :)

And in case you missed it...

You can win the new collections from The ScrapCake. Check it out here.

Well the mad rush of CHA work is over. I think. I've gotten everything done and shipped off. That's always a good feeling. :) Now I've got another BIG project I need to try to finish this week.

Thanks for stopping in! Take care and have fun!

Projects using the NEW STUFF!!! :)

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!!! I can finally start sharing some of the stuff I have made with the new releases for CHA. I really LOVE this part of being on design teams. :)

So if you stopped by the Fancy Pants blog last week, then you saw the new releases. Today on the blog they are sharing some of our projects made with the FABULOUS new Be You collection. So make sure you stop by to see what the others did too. Here's some fun stuff that I did:

I just LOVE the colors and patterns in this collection. I focused on some of my favorites and cut out large hearts to splatter all over my background. I then cut a border and cut the words out and I had a finished layout. :)

Here are my close up's:

And I also have a card to share:

It's a pretty simple card just showcasing the beautiful papers. :)

And then I also have a fun project. :) I used parts of one of Fancy Pants' albums, the Be You line, and a bunch of their fun metal frames.

That last picture was taken at a slight angle so I didn't have my refection in it. :)

Well there you have it. What do you think of the collection now that you have seen it in action? :)

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be sharing more soon!!!

Celebrations! :)

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are coming up on a busy time of birthdays in our family, and I was reminded of a layout I haven't shared with you yet. I made it for the special issue from Creating Keepsakes called Scrapbooking Holidays & Celebrations.

This layout uses all Fancy Pants goodies. I took a 6x6 pad of It's The Little Things paper and just fanned them out behind my photos. :) I still really love that collection.

Here are some close up's:

I do have more CK layouts to share soon too. :)

And Fancy Pants has even more new releases going up on the blog today, so make sure you stop by!!

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Fancy Layout and Some Fancy Sneaks

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well this week has been busy here! Lots of creating with fun new stuff! You should see the boxes I have scattered around my room. :) But I've also been sick. :( And just plain exhausted. I hope I can get back to normal soon. I have so much to share with you but most of it can't be shared just yet. So I will share a layout I actually did a while back but haven't posted yet. :)

I used a lot of Spellbinders on this layout. I used the Creative Book Pages and the Wonderful Wings dies. I cut the butterflies, but I also used the butterfly as a stencil. I put the die on my page, traced around it and then added stitching over my pencil lines. It made for a cool journaling block. :)

All the papers are from the Baby Mine collection from Fancy Pants Designs. I love how I used this baby collection for a non-baby....it's actually pretty easy to do with this collection. :)

Here are some close up's of my layout:

And speaking of Fancy Pants...have you seen the new releases yet? They are sharing their fourth collection on their blog today! And you can win the new collections, so make sure you stop by and check it out! I'll post sneaks of the new collections here:

Thanks for stopping in today!!!!! I haven't done much blog hopping myself this week because I have been so busy, but I hope to soon!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Another Sketch :)

2012-01-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's Tuesday, and as you know, I am guesting and sketching for Skipping Stones Design this month. So are you ready for another of my card sketches? Here it is...

And here is the card I made for this sketch:

That is actually a picture of it lying flat...see I punched those holes at the bottom and they reveal what is stamped behind them on the inside of the card. Here's a picture of the card standing up:

I used the Grunge stamp set from Skipping Stones Designs. The papers and Chipboard come from BasicGrey's Kissing Booth collection. :)

I do hope you play along with this week's sketch, go here to play along. :)

Thanks for stopping in today! :) YOU rock!

New Challenge

2012-01-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I am busy busy busy...working on CHA stuff and other deadlines. But I wanted to pop in and tell you that the new challenge is up over at Once Upon A Sketch! Hop on over and play along!!! :)

Surprise!

2012-01-13T08:36:00.001-07:00

So remember last week when I told you that my term on the design team with Fancy Pants was up? Well that very same day I got an email from Jodi asking me to stay on the team for another year! Yeah!!!!!! I couldn't edit my post or say anything though until they announced it. :) But I am very thankful and excited about being a part of the 2012 design team! There are some new faces (as well as familiar) to the team. Check out the announcement here.

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Are You Feeling Lucky?

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to play with the new Lucky 8 punches from We R Memory Keepers since I heard they were coming out! In case you haven't heard, they are one large punch that creates the 12x12 (well slightly smaller) shaped papers that are so popular. And there are three ways to use the designs on each one.

So using this punch:

I punched each of these designs:

Isn't it fantastic! Such a fun tool to have. :) Want to see some projects I made using two different Lucky 8 punches? I used their Love Struck collection for these projects. These projects were made for WRMK to use on HSN.

I used the small circles in the design as holes for my stitching. Here are some close up's of my layout:

And layout #2:

And the close up's:

I also made a card. I just cut off the edges and used them as a border, and then layered the same design over and over. :)

Well thanks for stopping in today! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sneak! :)

2012-01-11T09:14:00.002-07:00

So yesterday I got a box filled with new lines from one company. And I can't wait to work with it all! And for another company I have been creating with new lines for awhile...but I can't share any of that with you yet. :) I just love this time of year when all the companies are coming out with new collections, don't you?

But today I CAN share a sneak of a new collection from The ScrapCake! :)

Doesn't it look wonderful? I can't wait to get it in my hands!

And don't forget that The ScrapCake currently has a design team call out...you can find all the information here.

And that's it for today....just wanted to share. :)

Have an awesome day!

Skipping Stones Hop!

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Skipping Stones Design's Sketch Challenge #110 and the release of Grunge Two! If you just came from Joann's blog, you are in the right place. If you are just stoppin' in today, you can start the hop at Skipping Stones Design. My posts goes up early, but all posts should be up by 6 AM MST. The entire hop order is there and you can hop from blog to blog with ease.

Be sure to hop along and leave comments on all the fabulous designers’ blogs. This month they are welcoming, (along with myself) Candice Fields, Emily Leiphart and Julie Day to the team as Guest Designers! And I actually provided the sketch for this hop (and all month...every Tuesday a new sketch goes up!).

Here's the sketch I did for this challenge:

And here is my card for this sketch, using the brand new Grunge Two stamp set:

I really love that photo strip stamp and the dude stamp! I've actually already used that dude stamp 3 times! For those of you who don't know me in real life...I actually tend to say dude a lot. I've met scrapbookers at CHA and such that are shocked when I say it...they think it's funny. :) I've always said it. So anyways, I was heading in the whole "masculine card" idea but then just had to add the pink and red hearts. It can still be masculine, right? The hearts and the patterned papers are from Fancy Pants.

Ok...well thanks for stopping by!!!

Now head on over to Karen's blog for some more Skipping Stones Design inspiration!

Inspiration is everywhere!!!!

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I say it all the time, but I will say it again...inspiration is all around us! And I love that! Last month on the Fancy Pants blog, I did a post about being inspired by the everyday life. I spent a lot of time on the couch then, first sick, and then with my leg. There was one day when I was looking at the ordinary view from the couch and got inspired...I snapped this picture with my phone:

I saw the cool design the light was making above the curtains. I could also see photos instead of the curtains and a basic sketch in my head. So I took the photo with my phone and later made this page based on the inspiration:

I hope you can see the design in my layout. I not only was inspired by the design, but was also inspired to play with light a bit. I just love the photos I used. I just hand cut those pieces that I used above and below the photos. I used a little bit from several of Fancy Pants' collections, including Saint Nick, Summer's End, and Off to School.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope you are inspired to actively look around you and see what inspiration you can find! Have a fabulous day!

Cards and a DT CALL :)

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today! This week over at The ScrapCake's blog, we are featuring cards. I have three to share with you today. :) All of them use papers from The ScrapCake, and then I combined them with stamps from Skipping Stones Design and chipboard from Imaginarium Designs.

And this last one is my favorite....

And then I just had to pass along some fun information for you. You know I design for The ScrapCake and I LOVE it! Their papers are amazing, the people are wonderful and the assignments are fun! If you like their papers...I got some fun news you may want to hear...

Yep, that's right! The ScrapCake has a design team call out right now! You can check out all the details here.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!!!!

Endings Are Sad

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

First of all...how do you like the new look? Any problems? Let me know if there is. I moved some stuff around too. :)

Well I am sad to say, but with the end of the year, came the end of my design team term for Fancy Pants Designs. I had so much fun designing for them and I want to shout a huge THANK YOU out to Jodi and the FP team...it really has been such a pleasure! I have a layout to share with you today that uses the Love Story collection from Fancy Pants.

I had a lot of fun making this layout. I used my cameo for a bunch of it. Those hearts are poorly "drawn" hearts I did myself and cut out with the cameo.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

I really am so blessed to have such wonderful children. I love them all so much! My heart will forever be full simply because of their presence in my life. :)

Well thanks for stopping in today!!!! Have a wonderful day!

Construction....

2012-01-03T16:16:00.002-07:00

I'm playing around trying to change up the blog look. Sorry if it looks wonky or is harder to read...I'm working on it now. :)

Skipping Stones

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share about another company I am guest designing for this month. Skipping Stones Design is a fun stamping company that specializes in laughter. Their mission is to help papercrafters share the gift of laughter one stamp at a time. Though they have many funny stamp sets, they also have many beautiful sets.

Here is a card I made using the Always Here stamp set:

I cut that card out with my Cameo and was simply amazed! I added only a few things because it was already beautiful as cut!

So Skipping Stones Design has card sketch challenges every Tuesday. And I am the guest sketch artist, so I made all the sketches we will use this month. :) I had fun making the sketches. Here is the first one:

And here is the card I made for this sketch:

Again, I used the Always Here stamp set. Those papers are from the new collection from Fancy Pants called Love Story.

I hope you join us for this challenge! Post your card here. I can't wait to see what you do!

Thanks for stopping in!

C'est Magnifique

2012-01-02T11:33:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today! :) I totally slept in this morning. That was nice. :) So this month I am happy to be the guest designer over at C'est Magnifique Kit Club. They are a kit club that specializes in using harder to find products. They are based in the US, but they will often use papers that are made by an international company. This month the kit included a lot of papers from 7 Dots Studio, a line designed by Finnibair. When Leslie asked me to guest design, she warned me that it may not be my style, because it is very bold and grungy, but I was happy to take it as a challenge and I had a lot of fun playing with the kit.

Here's what the main kit looks like:

The kit is called My Soul's Canvas. I also used their add on kit:

And then here are the layouts that I made with the kit...

And the close up's:

Isn't that postage stamp cool!

I really enjoyed playing with those mistable canvas pieces.

Layout number 2:

And the close up's:

Layout number 3:

And the close up's:

And then I added an envelope to the back that slightly sticks out on the top, and I added some hidden journaling in it.

Layout number 4:

I loved the background piece of paper and didn't want to cover it up. But I like my pages more dimensional. So I took my craft knife and cut parts and then popped those parts up with Zapdots from Helmar. Then it gave me more of the 3D look I was wanting and I still was able to see all the beautiful paper. The picture is one of my favorite photos from my Sister In Law's wedding. I seriously LOVE this photo!

And the close up's:

And finally, layout number 5:

This one is very simple.

And the close up's:

Wow, that was a lot to share. :) I really did have a lot of fun with this kit. I highly recommend you check out C'est Magnifique and their kits. They are unique, and I love that they use harder to find stuff. Last month they used product from The ScrapCake...and I've heard from many of you that it is hard to find their stuff in the US.

Thanks so much to Leslie from C'est Magnifique for the opportunity to guest design for her wonderful kit club!

And thanks to YOU for stopping in today! Stop by tomorrow to see who else I am guest designing for this month. :)

Have a fantastic day!

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

2011-12-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year's Eve to you all! I hope you have a happy and safe day today whatever you do! I wish you all the best for 2012!!!

Well, with the new year, comes a new challenge over at Once Upon A Sketch! I do hope you play along with us! :)

The challenge:

Journaling Criteria: Our theme this time is New year's Eve. Journal about your feelings around this time of year, or tell us about your most memorable New Year's Eve. What do you typically do or what did you specifically do this year? Who do you celebrate with? Was there one that was particularly memorable?

You MUST combine the journaling criteria with this sketch:

My Layout:

At first I was a bit intimidated by this challenge...not exactly sure why, maybe it was because I didn't have any specific New Years Eve photos, but I made a page about how I generally spend it. Here's my layout:

I used by Cameo for this page!!! I loved playing with it and can't wait to play more. See that cute house with the words cut out of it, that is what I cut with my Cameo. Isn't it cute? :) The chipboard I used comes from Imaginarium Designs. They are an awesome company that is a consistent sponsor over at Once Upon A Sketch. They even sponsor the design team, so I was lucky enough to get to play with them. My papers are all from My Mind's Eye.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

The prizes:

You won't want to miss the prizes you can win...lots of good stuff!

1. The winner of this challenge, as chosen by the Design Team, will win a spot on our Design Team for the month of February. As well as that, the winner will also receive a nice prize from The Craft's Meow:

An in-stock stamp set from The Crafts Meow of the winners choice..

*example of stamp set the winner could choose.

2. One RANDOM lucky person will receive this prize from Feature Art:

3. One RANDOM lucky person will receive this prize from Vicky Alberto Etsy Shop:

See!!! Lots to win! :)

I really hope you play along with us this!!!! You have until Jan. 14th to upload your entry here. Can't wait to see what YOU do! :)

Have a FANTASTIC day!!!!

Saying Goodbye to 2011

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Every year I think the year has gone by quicker than the previous year. But I am glad to be rid of 2011...it was the hardest year for me yet. Thank God for my kids...they have been such a blessing. Anyways...so I am praying that 2012 is a MUCH better year for us.

On The ScrapCake blog we did a post where we all shared layouts recapping the year. I chose to go in a slightly different direction and created this:

I used the Cozy Xmas collection from The ScrapCake for this layout. Those letters are stamped with an old set I had from Stampin' Up!, which I am sure they do not sell anymore.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

I hope we all have better years actually, even if your year was super...we'll always take better, right! :)

Thanks for stopping in today!!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!!

My Top Ten from 2011

2011-12-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how we all have different styles and preferences. I am about to post MY personal favorite layouts of mine for the year, and you may be think to yourself, "wow...I wouldn't have picked that one", or "you should have included this other layout." I've said it before, but it's funny how you post a layout that you just love and it gets barely any comments, and then you post a layout that you don't love as much, and everyone else loves it. Or you submit your favorite layout several times, but it doesn't get picked up. But then the one that you almost didn't send because you don't like it as much does get picked up. It happens to me all the time.

There are a few layouts that actually would have made my list, but they are out for publication and can't be included at this time, so if you don't see one of your favorites, then that may be why.

So here are my top ten:

A lot of them are recent layouts...I noticed that last year when I made my top ten too. I guess that means I am growing and developing more of my own style. :)

Thanks for stopping in today! I love seeing your top ten layouts too...so let me know if you've posted them!

Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Blessings

2011-12-27T00:18:00.008-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a FABULOUS Christmas and holiday season. :) We have been busy busy busy, as most of the world seems to be this time of year. We were blessed with much time with friends and family and of course many wonderful presents.

My biggest blessings:

(the poor boys have strep though...so they weren't feeling the best this Christmas.)

One of the best gifts I received:

:) Yep, that is a peek at my new Cameo. Can't wait to pull it out of the box and play a bit.

Thought I'd share another layout with you all, since I haven't posted for a little bit. This layout uses Pink Paislee (including more of the freebies I was talking about in previous posts that I found on their blog).

Here are the close up's:

I weaved a bit of paper, played with layering the same paper on paper, popped some up, and whitened my wood pieces (love their wood pieces!).

Well I really hope you had the best Christmas, but also got some moments to just breathe and relax. I'm looking forward to getting crafty, because it seems like forever since I have. :)

Have a wonderful day!!!

And the Winner is....

2011-12-21T11:15:00.003-07:00

Are you guys waiting for something? I didn't forget. :)

So the lucky winner of the collection of papers and die cuts from The ScrapCake is.....

Congratulations! Shoot me an email to pamelacy@msn.com and I will get this out to you! :)

Thank you to everyone for all the nice comments.

I am thinking I have more to giveaway soon! ;)

Have a wonderful day!

Collection Collision

2011-12-20T00:01:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone! Can you believe it's almost Christmas? Are you ready for it?

Today I am sharing a layout that I made for the BasicGrey blog. I was challenged to use two different BasicGrey collections....I love combining collections.

Here's what I came up with:

I decided to combine two of my favorite collections: Little Black Dress and Picadilly. I thought they went together perfectly, a little neutral with some bright colors.

I created my background with my square punch. I swear, my circle and my square punches are the only ones I seem to use anymore. I just don't usually think about my punches (and my punches are all old). But my good and faithful circle and square punch get pulled out often. I actually should challenge myself to create more with my punches. How often do you guys use your punches?

Anyways...here are some close up's of my layout:

Don't you think the two collections look great together?

Well thanks for stopping in today! :) I'll be announcing the winner for my blog candy in the post below TOMORROW. So you still have time to enter if you haven't yet. :)

Spellbinders Series: Making Cards with Large Dies AND GIVEAWAY

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nope, didn't drop off the planet...just been busy. :) I'm sure you all can understand. It's just a busy time of year.

So today I am going to share with you how to make cards using the large dies from Spellbinders. This is my last post for my Spellbinders series. If you missed any of the previous ones, here, here, here and here.

So, using the Grand Labels One dies:

I made this card:

Isn't it fun! I love making shaped cards and these large dies make it so easy. All the papers and the cool wood shapes are from Pink Paislee. Some of them were freebies that I printed out...they were giving them away on their blog, and I think you can still get them, so head on over. :)

And using the Creative Book Pages Dies:

I made this card:

Those adorable snowmen is another piece I picked up as a freebie from the Pink Paislee blog. I printed it and cut it out. Again, all the papers are from Pink Paislee.

Well thanks for stopping in today! And I wanted to offer a giveaway. Think of it as a Christmas present for one lucky reader. :)

Here's the giveaway up for grabs:

It's a bunch of papers and die cuts from The ScrapCake! I love love love their papers, and I just know you will too!!! And I know they can be harder to find, especially here in the States. So now is your chance to grab them...and for free! :)

And here's how you can win: Leave me a comment on this blog post. :) It's as simple as that.

I will also offer extra chances to win by doing the following:

If you are already a follower of my blog or have just become one, let me know. Just leave another comment on this blog post letting me know that you are a follower (old or new) and you will automatically be entered in for another chance at the giveaway.
Share this giveaway on a blog, facebook, or another website. Leave me another comment on this blog post with a link to where you shared it and you will automatically be entered in for another chance at the giveaway.

Hope you are enjoying the season and getting much accomplished as well as spending good time with family and loved ones! My kids are off school til the new year and I am excited to have them home. :)

Again, thanks for stopping in!

A Christmas Layout :)

2011-12-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I have a new Christmas layout to share with you today! :) It uses the awesome Nordic Holiday collection from BasicGrey. Actually, it was a 6x6 pad of paper. I thought of fun ways to make a 12 x 12 layout with a 6 x 6 papers.

I just sketched out that design and then used it as a template to cut my pieces. This is the kind of layout that is great at using some of your scraps. :)

Here are some close up's:

And in case you've missed it...BasicGrey is doing their 25 Days of Christmas celebration here. (Hint: there's freebies!)

So that's all for today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Spellbinders Series: Stenciling

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today, for my fourth post in my Spellbinders series. If you missed the others, you can find them here, here and here. So...on the packaging on Spellbinders dies it reads "Cut, Emboss, Stencil." Today I am trying my hand at stenciling (and of course I did add some elements that were cut too). I have a very limited amount of dies, so I apologize that all my projects are using the same dies. My layout today uses the Wonderful Wings dies and the Grand Labels One dies.

But first let's start with the technique.

For my background, I decided to use my butterflies and some ink to create my own fun background. I simply laid the butterfly die on my paper and sponged ink around it, like so:

And repeated this several times with different colors, to create this:

Next I softened it a little by spraying my paper with water. It's kinda hard to see it in my pictures, but it did blend it better and give it more of a watercolor look.

Another thing I love to do with stencils is to use them for my stitching (have you noticed that I like to stitch?) So I first cut using my large label, and then I used the next size down as a stencil. I simply took a pencil and drew around the inside of the die.

I left it like that until I completed my layout, then my final touch was to go back and add stitching to where the pencil lines were visible. This way I didn't take time to stitch where it was going to be covered up.

So you want to see my completed layout using both of these techniques?

Here it is:

I thought it would be cool to add my journaling on the butterflies. :) The products I used are a mix, so I will add my supplies at the bottom of the post. One thing I did want to mention was that I was out of y's for my title, so I used upside down h's instead. You probably wouldn't have even known if I hadn't mentioned it. :)

Here are some close up's of my layout:

So it looks like I may be having surgery on my knee. :( I see my doctor again today and meet with a surgeon next to discuss it all, but my doctor recommends the surgery for my case (he says he doesn't for all). Any thoughts? A few of you have already commented on facebook...just wondering if anyone has any strong opinions on knee surgery?

And since you all know I am a reality tv show junkie...I just want to say that this has been a very disappointing week in "reality" world (and you know I've been laying on the couch a lot due to my knee so I've seen a lot of tv). I was very disappointed with America's Next Top Model and with X Factor. Anybody else agree?

Again, thanks for stopping in! Have a FANTASTIC day! :)

Supplies for "My Oh My" layout:

Papers--Pink Paislee, My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper. Dies and Die Cutting Machine--Spellbinders. Cardstock--American Crafts. Ink--Stampin' Up!. Butterfly Brads: Creative Charms, Chipboard Letters--My Little Shoebox, Lace--Hobby Lobby Stores, Floss--DMC, Pen--Sharpie.

Random Thought Thursday (and a layout)

2011-12-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Are you liking the random thoughts and things about myself that I am sharing on Thursdays? Or do you think it's silly and skip over it?

Today I thought I would share another passion of mine with you...ok, not really a passion, but something I love! Games. I LOVE playing games. We play a lot of card games, but I also love playing board games. But most of the ones I like, nobody ever wants to play because they take too long. :(

Am I the only one who loves games? Are they just not "hip"? And do you have any suggestions for new games I should ask for for Christmas...a really good one? What's your favorite game?

Ok...moving on...

I also wanted to share a layout with you today...it's been in my "to be posted" pile. :)

I used the fun Baby Mine collection from Fancy Pants. I layered the panels in back by popping some out at different heights. I think it creates a fun background. :)

Here are the close up's:

Thanks for stopping in today!!!

Have a wonderful day! :)

Brrr...

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Man...yesterday was a COLD day for us here. And all weekend it snowed. Today is supposed to be a bit warmer...but still below freezing. At least it's feeling like Christmas outside. And I went to the post office yesterday and there was already a long line out the door...so it is definitely feeling like Christmas. I have some more Christmas decorations to share with you today, a bit of home decor for the season.

The wooden snowflakes come from Say It With Letters. The larger one is 12" and the smaller is 8". I added paper and paint, and a little embellishing and got this:

The papers I used come from the FABULOUS Cozy Xmas collection from The ScrapCake. I seriously LOVE this collection. :) And I am really happy with the way these snowflakes turned out too.

Thanks for stopping in!

A Christmas PAPER Table Runner

2011-12-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a post on the Fancy Pants blog and I have just been dying to share it with you here too! :) By the way...I have been LOVIN' all the projects on their blog lately, you should definitely stop in for some inspiration!

So...for my project, here is what I did:

1. I cut a bunch of 2x2 squares from some of my favorite pieces of paper from the fabulous Saint Nick collection.

2. I then laid them out in a design on top of a piece of canvas fabric. (For my end points, I just cut my squares in half, making triangles, to use on the edges)

3. I cut the canvas around my design, leaving a small canvas border.

4. I then ran my piece through my sewing machine, to make sure all the pieces stayed down and to give it more of a quilted look.

5. Then I covered it with a sealer.

And this is what I got:

And because of the sealer, I am able to wipe it off if need be. And if I need to iron it, I just flip it over and iron on the back (you may want to use a lower setting on your iron...I didn't, but better to be safe than sorry).

I really am so happy with the way this turned out! This was such a fun, easy project! Maybe I will try curtains next! :)

Thanks for stopping in!!

Spellbinders Series: Embossing

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

Hello!! Welcome to my third post in my Spellbinders series. If you missed the other two, you can find them here and here. Today's post is all about embossing with the Grand Calibur.

Keep in mind that I am just learning this machine and in the beginning "playing" stage. I have no training with the machine and definitely don't know all the tips for doing things right...I am just a crafter with a new machine and I am sharing with you what I am learning along the way.

So I knew I wanted to make this post about embossing. It's very easy to cut and then emboss a shape with the Grand Calibur, but what I was wanting to do was ONLY emboss. I learned that was not as easy as I expected. I wanted to stick a piece of paper through and emboss three butterflies, at one time. I tried once, and it actually did cut my butterflies out. I tried a second time and for some reason my paper got all warped in spots. So I ran my embossing pad and plates through the machine with no paper or dies in it, to straighten out my pad. Then I tried a third time and got something I was ok with.

Here's the layout I made with the paper I embossed the butterflies on:

See that pink piece of paper? That is what I was talking about. I also cut out some more butterflies (these are cut and embossed) to add to my butterfly design. On this layout I used the Wonderful Wings dies and the Creative Book Pages dies (the postage stamp piece behind my photos over the banner strips).

The gorgeous papers are all from Pink Paislee, from their Butterfly Garden collection (I thought that was very appropriate for this layout!). I also used their rub-ons, charm and letters.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

And then, using the same supplies, I also made a card:

This time I added a bit of chalk on top of my embossed butterfly.

I'm gonna have to play a bit more with embossing with the Grand Calibur. :)

Thanks for stopping in today!!! Hope you have enjoyed my post.

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Random Thought Thursday (and a wreath!)

2011-12-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

So, can you believe it is December? And how many people do you think are saying that today? :)

So...my random thought for today is this...

I SUCK AT CRUTCHES! :(

Which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, because I am CLUMSY with a capital C! I can trip over nothing. I am just lacking in this department. Sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to not be such a klutz. I will never be called graceful. But I am ok with that. Really it's a shock that this is the first time I have ever needed crutches!

Anyways...moving on...

I know many people wait to decorate til it is actually December. So if that is you...perhaps I can inspire you to make your own decorations. Those are always the best.

Today I am sharing a wreath I made:

All the papers and embellishments are from Fancy Pants Designs...they are from their fabulous Saint Nick collection. :) The wooden wreath comes from Say It With Letters.

I just punched a bunch of circles, crumpled them up and glued to my wreath. :) Then added a few embellishments on top.

Here are some close up's:

I will be sharing lots more Christmas stuff soon. Thanks for stopping in today!

Have a happy first day of December (it's my brother's birthday today!)

Challenges

2011-11-30T08:34:00.011-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today! So I have some challenges to share with you. The first is not scrap related, but life related. It is the reason I haven't been on the computer as much and why I didn't have a post up yesterday. I hurt my leg. :( Well...my knee specifically. I tore my Meniscus. So I have spent the past several days on the couch with my leg propped up and if I must admit....a little doped up. I have crutches...and I hate them. Can't really figure them out well. My computer and my scrapbook room are both downstairs...so it makes it difficult. I still have assignments to do this week though, so I'll have to figure out a good way to do this.

Anyways...

The new challenge is up over at Once Upon A Sketch! I do hope you play along with us! :)

The challenge:

Journaling Criteria: Write at least 2 sentences on what you look forward to in the next month. December is a festive month so your journalling could be about the Christmas season, the holidays, the presents or if you do not celebrate Christmas what does December bring for you that you look most forward to? Note:You layout DOES NOT have to be about Christmas! It can be about anything December brings.

You MUST combine our journaling criteria with this sketch:

My Layout:

I changed it up a bit and incorporated a lot more pictures on my layout. :)

I used BasicGrey's Nordic Holiday collection. I used a 6x6 pad of paper, and then some fun chipboard.

Here are close up's of my layout:

The prizes:

You won't want to miss the prizes you can win...lots of good stuff!

1. The winner of this challenge, as chosen by the Design Team, will win a spot on our Design Team for the month of January. As well as that, the winner will also receive a AUD$20.00 voucher (plus FREE shipping) to spend in the store at Handmade By Suzanne!

2. One RANDOM lucky person will receive this prize from Handmade By Suzanne:

Tim Holtz Alterations Embossing Folder Set (Collage)

3. And one lucky person will win this..

A set of My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 paper pads in 4 different collections.

See!!! Lots to win! :)

I really hope you play along with us this!!!! You have until Dec. 14th to upload your entry here. Can't wait to see what YOU do! :)

Have a FANTASTIC day!!!!

Christmas Cards

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

YEAH!!!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this time of year...LOVE it! I love the Christmas music! I love the Christmas movies! I love the joy that seems to be in the air! I love Christmas. We've got our trees up, the decorations up, and the lights up outside...so it's really feeling like Christmas! :)

I also enjoy making Christmas cards every year. :) Today I am sharing a few with you. They use the AWESOME Cozy Xmas collection from The ScrapCake.

Thanks for stopping in! Enjoy your day!!

December Daily

2011-11-25T00:01:00.002-07:00

(If you are stopping in for my Friday Spellbinders series...it will return next week!)

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today! If you are coming from the Fancy Pants blog, welcome! If not, you may want to check out the Fancy Pants blog today because we are sharing December Daily albums. :) I told myself I wasn't going to make one this year. They always take more time and work then I think they will. But in a spur of the moment decision, I decided to go ahead and do it. So today I am sharing the whole thing with you.

Process

I cut 16 pieces of kraft cardstock at 4.5" x 6".
I then cut .5" off each piece leaving a tab section at .5" x 2". So each piece is 4 x 6 with a tab.
I decided I wanted to splatter paint all over my pages. (I must admit, I was kinda frustrated that day and I was splattering kinda hard..a bit much, but it helped me take my anger out).

I had these covers...don't really know where they came from, but I bound it all together to form my book.

So that is what I started with.

This year, I am doing things a bit differently than in the past. I am choosing to focus mostly on journaling. This year has been a tough one for me, a very different year then the previous years, and I just think this is more what I need. I may occasionally add a small picture to a page, or more likely add a picture every now and then simply by punching the binding holes in it and placing it directly in the book as is in between the pages.

Here is my completed album, ready to add journaling and the occasional picture. It uses the fabulous Saint Nick collection from Fancy Pants.

I am actually really excited about this now...now that I had decided to make it more of a personal journal for me, rather than worrying about filling it with all the Christmas-y details of this time of year. We'll see what it really ends up like. :)

Anyways, thanks so much for stopping in today!!!!! We hope to set up the tree and get the decorations out! Yeah for Christmas time! :)

Have a wonderful day...and if you are heading out for Black Friday shopping...good luck! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2011-11-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for popping in on this special day! I hope you are all able to spend it with friends and family! I'll make my post quick so you can get back to it.

This is my third year posting daily "Attitude of Gratitude" posts on facebook. These are last year's facebook posts on this layout:

The papers, letters, stickers and leaves are all from American Crafts, from their Amy Tangerine collection.

Here are some close up's:

I hope to do a layout soon with my Attitude of Gratitude posts from this year. :)

Have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving day!

A Bunch of Cards

2011-11-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

I have a bunch of cards to share with you. I made them all for calls, but they didn't get picked up so I am sharing them here. :) They all use papers and goodies from BasicGrey. :)

For this first one, I used my 6x6 pad of Oxford papers.

(BG Thanks Oxford)

These next two use the Little Black Dress collection. Still lovin' this collection! :)

And then this last one uses the Oxford collection again. :)

That awesome chipboard man comes from Magistical Memories.

Hope you are ready for the holiday! Enjoy it!!!!!!!! And in case you don't pop in tomorrow...Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Combining Challenges & Collections

2011-11-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Hope your week is going great! We are having Thanksgiving at our house this year, so it will be a busy week! We've already got the grocery shopping done! Yeah!! We will be doing a lot of our traditional Thanksgiving dishes as well as trying some new things too. Hoping to get the house cleaned today, and considering making a few more Thanksgiving decorations. My kids are off school all week and yesterday my son was wanting to make stuff so he punched and drew a whole bunch of leaves that he is going to scatter on our table. And last year I made some Thanksgiving name cards for our family, but we needed to make a few more for this year, so he also made those name cards yesterday. He has been quite the little helper, and I love seeing him excited about creating. :) Do you guys make anything special for Thanksgiving? Or how about a unique or well loved recipe you do?

Ok...moving on. :)

This month over at The ScrapCake's blog we had a post about mixing the collections. I did a couple layouts for it.

And this month I was asked to be a guest designer for Colorful Creations. They gave me a sketch to work with. So I combined this sketch:

With the challenge to combine The ScrapCake collections, and got this:

First of all, I loved the tilts on the sketch, but it just didn't work well with my photos and elements, so I just made it straight. The collections I combined for this layout are Cozy Xmas, Summer at the Seaside, and even a little of Little Monsters and The Bright Side of Life.

My daughter's hair is in that awkward stage...we are growing the bangs out and they are not quite long enough to stay back but too long to keep from covering her eyes. :) I do admit, I look forward to them growing long enough that we can tuck them behind her ears.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

That cool bloomer is from Webster's Pages. The yellow letter stickers are from Authentique. And the chipboard letters are from American Crafts.

I cut those leaves with my Slice. I love the look of die cuts on the same paper as the background.

And yep...more flags. :) I am lovin' the flags lately.

And then this second layout was also done for The ScrapCake challenge of combining collections:

I used The Bright Side of Life, Cozy Xmas, Spring Awakening, and a little from Summer At The Seaside. I actually like this layout a lot more in real life than in this photo, but oh well.

Here are some close up's:

Those chipboard letters are from Fancy Pants.

Thanks for stopping in today! Hope your day is FABULOUS! :)

Traditions

2011-11-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes our traditions can seem so common that we neglect to document them at all. I wanted to create a scrapbook page about a very common tradition for us....

I used the It's The Little Things collection from Fancy Pants Designs. That background cardstock is a collaboration between Fancy Pants and Core'dinations. This whole layout came together really quickly!

Design Notes:

* I was inspired by the cards in the pictures and made my design to the left of the photos to look like them.

* Instead of using a plain piece of cardstock for your background, try using an embossed one! :) It adds a lot to the design.

* Out of journaling spots? Make your own. I like to cut a few pieces and put them all in a line.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

Do you have a tradition that is so common that you rarely think of it as tradition? Have you scrapbooked about it? Just putting that thought into your head. :)

Have a wonderful day!!!

Spellbinders Series: Think Negatively

2011-11-18T00:04:00.003-07:00

Welcome back for my second post in my Spellbinders series. Although I am using my Spellbinders' cutting system (Grand Calibur) you can use these ideas with any system you have. :) Today I am challenging you to think negatively! I always keep my scraps after cutting things out...for I love to use the negative parts! You can see that on all of the following projects. For these layouts, I used leftovers from these layouts.

Man, I just really love how this layout turned out. :) Those negative parts are from the Grand Labels One die and the Wonderful Wings die. I also used my butterfly that I cut from canvas. I stamped it to create a bit of design. That wonderful LOVE stamp is from Unity Stamp Company. The papers are all from BasicGrey's Indie Bloom collection. And notice how many brads I used on this layout...see, not at all out-dated. :)

Here are the close up's:

And then for my next layout I had a little fun and got a little artsy. I mixed paint and micro beads and then took a template from Crafter's Workshop and created that fun background. They have a bunch of fun templates I want to try, but alas I only have this one.

So I took these:

And made this:

I used the negative part from a piece from the Creative Book Pages die to frame around the photo, bricks and the negative butterfly (from Wonderful Wings die). The butterfly to the left is also a negative cut that I cut around and backed with white cardstock. I also had fun creating a brick look with scraps of paper.

Here are some close up's:

Ok...hopefully you are feeling at least a little bit inspired.

If you create something based on this post, please link it up so I can check it out! I'll even add a link in my post. :)

Have a wonderful day!

Random Thought Thursday (and a card)

2011-11-17T04:50:00.001-07:00

You want to know what my favorite smell ever is....

This smells so awesome I want to put it on 20 times a day! I got it completely by accident too. I normally get another brand and grabbed this one instead...and I just love it. Seriously, if I could add a scratch and sniff online...I would. It is fabulous!

How's that for random? :)

And here's a card for you too...

I masked off the edges with masking tape and then stamped and embossed that fabulous background stamp from BasicGrey and Hero Arts. Then I stitched around the whole thing, added a sticker and a flower (also from BasicGrey) and called it done. :)

Thanks for stopping in today!

Hope your day is fantastic! :)

Fall Artistry

2011-11-16T07:00:00.009-07:00

Man I love fall!!! It hasn't seemed like fall as much lately because of all the snow we've been getting here, but it is still fall...the best time of the year! :) I took these pictures of the tree in our front year, like a day or two before it started snowing here. I just love it when the leaves change colors. I did this layout for the BasicGrey blog, you can see the post here.

My layout uses the awesome Picadilly collection from BasicGrey...are you sick of it yet? :) I ran out of some of the letters for my title so I put stickers that didn't match on my layout and then traced around them with a Sharpie, then removed the stickers. I like how this looks! The hexagons are cut using my Slice. I just hand cut the leaves and folded them to pop out some.

Here are some close up's:

Hope you have a FANTASTIC day!!! Thanks for stopping in! :)

Once Upon A Sketch challenge and a New Christmas Layout!!

2011-11-15T00:01:00.001-07:00

Today a new challenge is up at Once Upon A Sketch. It's not my turn to do it, but I still wanted to let you know about it! I hope you play along with us! :)

The challenge:

Journaling Criteria: This time the journaling criteria focuses on you as a woman. What is the best thing about being a woman? Motherhood? Shopping? Make Up? Girls nights? Gossip? Your journaling can be as long as you wish and in any language, but you must journal at least 2 sentences on the best part of being a woman.

You must combine the journaling criteria with this sketch:

The prizes:

Lots of good stuff to win!

1. The winner of this challenge, as chosen by the Design Team, will receive a pack of fabulous chipboard from Imaginarium Designs...

It includes some of their latest and most popular chipboard. The best thing about this, is that the pack will be different each month and will be customised to fit the winners needs. So if you have girls, you will be sent girly chipboard etc.

2. One randomly chosen winner will receive a mixture of products from The Chip Chop Shop to the value of $25.00 plus postage.

I really hope you play along with us this!!!! You have until Nov. 29th to upload your entry here. Can't wait to see what YOU do! :)

I also have a layout that I want to share with you today. Prepare yourself...it's a Christmas layout! You may be saying that you are not ready for that yet, but I have SO been feeling the Christmas spirit lately...maybe because of all the Christmas projects I've been working on. Or perhaps it's because I already started listening to Christmas music! ;) Too early?

This layout uses the AWESOME (and I can't emphasize the AWESOME enough!) new Christmas line from The ScrapCake, called Cozy Xmas. I have LOVED playing with this line...it's one of my favorites for sure.

So here's the layout:

Every Christmas season we drive around and look at lights. It's a tradition. I did it when I was a kid, and now we do it with our kids. :) I always look forward to it. Anyways, this picture is of a house we saw...it is not my house (I wish), just a fabulously beautiful house that was magnificently decorated for Christmas. :)

Here are some close up's of my layout:

Those chipboard fences are from Magistical Memories, and the alphabet is from Fancy Pants Designs. All adhesive used was from Helmar.

Ok...so now it's your turn, 'fess up...has your Christmas music been on yet? We're all friends here. ;) I can't be the only one.

Have a fantastic day!

A Gift for a Teacher

2011-11-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

Hi all! Thanks for stopping in today. I just got to tell you....I have been a scrapping fool lately and I have projects piling up to share with you! It's like I've fallen completely in love with this hobby again! Anyways...today I am sharing a gift I made for my son's teacher. It's something to hang on the wall...

I thought it turned out pretty cute. The owl comes from Say It With Letters, and I altered it with papers from Fancy Pants Designs, from their Off to School collection. :)

And then here is a quick card to go with it, using the same collection:

Quick post today. :)

Have a wonderful day!

Spellbinders Series: Butterflies and Brackets

2011-11-11T00:03:00.003-07:00

I don't have a Cricut.

I don't have a Cuttlebug.

I don't have a Silhouette.

I don't have a Cameo (yet...like I mentioned, I DO want this)

I don't have a Sizzix Big shot.

I don't have a Gazelle (don't even know what this is, but it popped up when I search cutting systems).

I don't have the Epic (Quickutz)

I DO have a Slice, which you will find me occasionally using. It was the first edition model, no Elite here.

And something else I have been wanting for a long time is the Grand Calibur from Spellbinders...and looky what I just got....

What I loved about this machine was how big it cut...I like my die cuts big. :) I've had a little bit of time to play with it now, and I plan on doing a series of blog posts on what I have created with my Grand Calibur and different ideas for using die cuts. I wanted it to something creative like "Spellbinders Saturday" but I have noticed that not as many people go blog hoppin' on the weekends, so I chose Fridays instead. So every Friday (for 4 or 5 weeks) I will have a Spellbinders post up on my blog. Hope you stop by for each and every one of them. :)

First up...

MY REVIEW of the GRAND CALIBUR machine from Spellbinders:

This machine is very easy to work. It walks you through the few simple steps it has. It can cut very detailed images out perfectly. As I have already mentioned, it is capable of creating large die cuts for your projects as it can cut and emboss up to 8.5 x 11.75. If you don't want to cut that large of die cuts, you can cut several smaller die cuts out at once (even using multiple pieces of paper).

You DO have to crank it to move the plates through the machine.

According to their site, this machine is compatible with Sizzlit™, Cuttlebug™, and Quickutz™ sized dies, as well as Cuttlebug Embossing Folders and Fiskars® Texture Plates when used with the W-025 Raspberry Spacer Plate. I have not tried anything but the Spellbinders dies in mine so far.

Tips for the Grand Calibur (just a couple of things I noticed):

* When embossing a die cut after it has been cut, make sure that the piece of paper has not moved or is snug in the center of the die to emboss correctly.

* When removing a die cut after embossing, if you lift the pink embossing plate first, separating it from the rubber embossing pad (rather then pulling both the plate and the pad up together), you will get less curve in your die cut. However, it is easy to work with curved pieces, simply use a strong adhesive and glue down well or place it under a book to flatten it.

* I was able to cut a butterfly from a piece of canvas. I put it through first and it did not cut all the way through, so I placed a piece of cardstock underneath it (as a shim) and tried again. It still wasn't completely cut so I did this once more (so I now had 2 shims) and this time it worked. It's harder to crank, the more layers you put in though. But if I can do it, you can do it. :)

Now let's take a look at a couple layouts I made. Both of these layouts use papers and embellishments from BasicGrey...mostly from their Indie Bloom collection.

On this layout I used the Grand Labels One die to cut my 6 bracket squares, and the Wonderful Wings die to cut the butterflies.

Here are some close up's:

{Close up 1 of Eryn's Brothers will return}

{Close up 2 of Eryn's Brothers will return}

(See that piece with the flowers and buttons? That is exactly how these BasicGrey buttons came, packaging and all. I thought it was cute that way, so I just cut the packaging and adhered it all on there.)

{Close up 3 of Eryn's Brothers will return}

And then on this next layout, I took it a step further and layered the Grand Labels One die cuts...

Pretty much uses all the same products. :)

Here are the close up's:

I loved how I added the journaling to this page. At first I wasn't sure where to put it...but then I got a bit creative. :)

Ok, well thanks for stopping in today!!! I will be up next Friday with more from my Spellbinder's series. And at the end of my series, there may just be a cool giveaway. ;)

Have a fantastic day!!!

Random Thought Thursday (and a layout)

2011-11-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

First of all, if you stopped by yesterday and found that my blog was gone, I am so sorry. It WAS gone! Blogger had removed my blog. It was quite frustrating and it took a while to get it all sorted out, but thankfully, it is back up.

So...I am thinking of adding a random thought to my Thursday posts...thinking of things that may help you get to know me a little bit more. But they will often be random and silly. So here goes....random thought #1:

We all have guilty pleasures...last night, on tv, was mine. Can you guess? Here's a hint...

Yep, I LOVE watching America's Next Top Model...like never-miss-an-episode love. :) Is that bad? :) Anybody else watch? If so...who you rooting for this All-Star season? I think I am rooting for Allison. There is just something about her that I love. Shannon totally confuses me. Did you see what she was wearing at judging last night? That dress was SO short, way more provocative then the underwear that she wouldn't wear. She just seems at time to be a walking contradiction. Anyways...most of you probably don't even watch the show and are yelling at me to get on with it. :) Ok, ok.

Because I can't leave it at just that, I am also sharing a layout:

This layout uses the totally awesome Picadilly collection from BasicGrey, again. :)

Here are some close up's:

The close up's of "Love This Time Of Year" will return too. :)

Thanks for stopping by today!!! Hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Let your imagination and creativity out! :)

2011-11-09T07:00:00.004-07:00

I'm still just playing around and having fun here. Got a wacky idea this time and thought I'd try it out. :)

Here's my layout:

Isn't it hilarious? I think this page is funny. I enlarged a picture of Eryn wearing the hat and then used it to cut out a silhouette out of patterned paper...totally not your typical silhouette. Then I went even further and added letters to the hat in a crossword sort of way, including words like "Benihana", "Food", "Fun", "Family", and "Yum". I then added some chop sticks next to it and some chicken stickers to make the perfect page for our little adventure.

All supplies are from BasicGrey's Picadilly collection. This is a fun collection, good for all sorts of pages!

Here are some close up's of my layout:

Well today is the last day of school for the kids here, they have tomorrow off for teacher's in-service day and friday off for Veteran's day...it may be a long weekend. I'll have to figure out something fun for us to do. Any good family friendly movies out? Are you guys doing anything special this week/weekend?

Hope you have an awesome day today! Happy hump day! :)

Playing

2011-11-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in! :) I had so much fun playing with the Picadilly collection from BasicGrey! I thought I would share a layout with you today, and I'll share more tomorrow. :)

The best part about this hobby is that you just get to play around! Here's my layout where I did just that:

I stitched one of my letters from my title and then filled it with journaling. :)

Here are some close up's:

The close up's of Jump will return later too. :)

Have a fantastic day! I am recovering from the flu. Last week my son missed two days of school and then my other son missed one day of school later in the week, and then I guess it was my turn. Had it all weekend...just glad I am finally feeling better. It's going around. Hope you all are well.

And I hope you get to play today! I hope to. :)

He feels the pain.

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am sharing something with you that I made for a friend who is going through a rough time right now. We seem to be surrounded by situations that just break your heart. Life can be so hard sometimes. But life can also be really good, we shouldn't forget that. Anyways, here's what I made:

I tried to be "artsy" with this. :) The words are from a song, they come from "Unglued" by Tait. I love that song. It's hard to know what to say to someone who is hurting, but I think these words do a pretty good job.

Here are some close up's:

That last line especially just gets me. He (God) feels the pain inside. He FEELS our pain too! Have you ever thought about that?

Ok, well I hope you have an amazing day! And if YOU are going through a rough time right now, hang in there!

Dear Santa

2011-11-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

I REALLY want this please!! :)

Who's with me? Anybody have it yet? What do you think?

Fancy Filters

2011-11-04T00:30:00.000-06:00

Have you guys seen all the Filter Flowers that Fancy Pants Designs makes? I LOVE them!!! They started off white and then they added printed filters to all of the lines, starting with Baby Mine! You can find them in the following collections: Baby Mine, Off To School, Oct 31,Summer's End, and Saint Nick. I think they are FANTASTIC!!! So much fun!

Here's what the filters from the Oct 31 line look like:

And here's a layout that I made that uses several filters.

Would you believe that this layout uses Fancy Pants' halloween collection, Oct 31! Not halloween related at all. :)

I took my three large filters and folded each in half and then in half again creating a triangle shape. Then I added them around my photo so it looked like they had made a complete circle. I stitched circles on them and then trimmed down the filters with scissors so you could see the layers. It looks like I had more filters then I had. :) I then scrunched up a small filter and kind of centered it over the large embellishment and under the photo. I also folded a small filter at the top of my page, adding stitching and buttons on top.

Here are some close up's:

Those white flourishes and the banner like triangles are FP rub-on's. :)

I hope I have inspired you to try the filters if you haven't already. They are fun! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Easy Canvas Prints Round 2

2011-11-03T00:45:00.000-06:00

Photos on Canvas

I am back with round 2 of my Easy Canvas Prints review today. If you missed my first post, you can check it out here. Easy Canvas Prints specializes in turning your photos to canvas. So I wasn't thrilled with MY choice of photos for my first canvas (totally my fault) so I tried again. :) I have two canvases to share with you today.

The first...

This one is an 8 x 10. I LOVE the way it turned out! Very crisp and detailed.

I chose to go with a solid color for the side this time, it is a dark red color. I loved that they offer any color, you get to click on the circle spectrum and select the color yourself.

And this next one is a secret! It is a Christmas gift. :) I can't wait to see what he thinks.

Isn't that hilarious! I couldn't resist putting that on a canvas. :) This canvas is 12 x 18. It was a custom size. I think it is awesome that they allow you to make a custom size because when I would crop my photos down to 8 x 10 or another similar size, I didn't like the pictures as well. I wanted to keep it the size it was, so the custom size option was perfect for me.

Here's a close up of the canvas, just so you can get a good look at his face! :)

Oh man, I just love that photo. Once again I chose to go with a solid color on the sides, I chose black.

Turning a photo into a canvas would be a great gift for anyone, with Christmas quickly approaching, it's something to think about. Easy Canvas Prints does a fantastic job with their canvas photos. And you'll want to check out their facebook page, they have great deals going on over there!

Thanks again to Easy Canvas Prints! It has certainly been a pleasure, I WILL be ordering again. :)

Thanks for stopping in today!!!

Sometimes it's hard.

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I cannot wait to make Christmas and winter layouts with the new Cozy Xmas collection from The ScrapCake, but first we were challenged to make non-Christmas layouts to show how versatile the line is. So here's a layout I came up with that has nothing to do with Christmas or winter. :)

Man, isn't that collection just gorgeous! And isn't it awesome how it also works for many other non-Holiday layouts. My journaling is very personal about how hard it is to watch my grandma turn into a person I don't even recognize.

Here's what the journaling says:

"Even though you are still alive, you are different. I hardly talk to you on the phone, I hardly ever receive letters from you, and when I do either of those, you tell me the same things over and over again. Your laughter and joy has been replaced by confusion and complaints. In a way I cherish you even now because you are the only grandmother I really have left, but I also have a hard time because things are so different. And if I'm honest, it scares me quite a bit and makes me dread growing "old"."

Here are some close up's of my layout:

{Close up's 1-3 of "I Miss You" will return}

Not trying to be a downer today, but I think many of us deal with the same kind of thing. And I like to keep things real.

Have a wonderful day!

The Truth Comes Out :)

2011-11-01T01:00:00.002-06:00

You'll see what I mean.

Today is my debut over at Once Upon A Sketch. I can't tell you how excited about this I am, I love a good challenge, especially when it involves journaling! And I am lucky because I can just combine it with my other DT assignments. I had a lot of fun this week.

The challenge:

Journaling Criteria: This time you need to journal at least 2 SENTENCES on WHEN you started scrapping and WHY?

You MUST combine our journaling criteria with this sketch:

My Layout:

Like I said I had a lot of fun with this challenge, but the truth also comes out with it...what I mean is this:

1) Oh my goodness, I am SO bad at getting my layouts into albums, they just end up in piles (as you will see in the pictures) and...

2) I am selfish, I don't scrap to record memories or for my kids, although those are added bonuses, I scrap simply because I love it and it makes me happy. :)

So here's my layout:

I used the AWESOME Little Black Dress collection from BasicGrey. I seriously LOVE that collection. :) Everything on my layout is from BasicGrey.

Here are some close up's of my layout:

Check out what others did with the challenge here. You won't want to miss it, as they have all done a fantastic job with it.

The prizes:

And holy cow, you won't want to miss the prizes you can win...lots of good stuff!

1. How would you like to be our Guest Designer for December? This is the challenge where you have the chance to win a spot on our design team for the whole upcoming month simply by winning this challenge.

2. As well as being our Guest Designer, the first placed winner as chosen by the Design Team will win this prize, the complete October kit from Swirlydoos kit club...

This kit is simply stunning. It includes the captivating Vintage Blue line from Glitz Designs, papers, flowers, wood flourishes and rub ons from Kaisercraft, Prima Resin Old Window, Maya Road wooden spools and pearl pins and much much more.

And there will be 2 prizes to give away to RANDOMLY chosen people!

3. The first prize for one randomly chosen winner will receive a mixture of products from The Chip Chop Shop to the value of $25.00 plus postage.

4. Our other randomly drawn winner will receive the gorgeous Webster's Pages paper collection Ladies and Gents which includes 1 sheet of alphas, 1 die cut paper, 1 vellum paper, and 6 sheets of patterned paper.

See!!! Lots to win! :)

I really hope you play along with us this!!!! You have until Nov. 14th to upload your entry here. Can't wait to see what YOU do! :)

I thought I would also share with you a few pictures from last night:

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween (if you celebrated). Have a fantastic day!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! If you celebrate Halloween I am shouting a big Happy Halloween to you! Be safe and have fun! :) I do have a couple Halloween projects to share with you.

The ScrapCake has this cute monster line called Little Monsters that works great for fun Halloween projects.

First up, a card...

I'm all about the fun when it comes to Halloween (rather than dark and scary). :)

I also made a candy pocket...

Aren't those monsters cute?

Well we will be trick or treating tonight and then heading to church for the Halloween activities, it's like a huge party. The kids will be all kinds of happy. :)

Have an awesome Halloween!!!!!

Fancy Cards

2011-10-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in today!!! Well last month I shared some cards on the Fancy Pants blog, and today I am sharing them here.

They both use the fabulous Summer's End collection.

Nothing too spectacular, but it's always good to have cards on hand. :)

Hope you are having a fantastic day!!!

Flags are Hot! :)

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yep, flags are really in right now. :) And they are very easy to do! For this layout I am sharing I just took a toothpick and added one of the chipboard banner pieces that Fancy Pants has. But instead of a banner, I had a flag. :) You could do this with paper just as easy.

Here's my layout:

I used the fabulous Summer's End collection from Fancy Pants Designs. That piece with the circles was just leftover from another project. This page came together really quick!

Here are some close up's:

Hope your week has been fantastic. The boys are off from school today and there are lots of Halloween festivities this weekend, so they are happy and excited. We've also had a lot of beautiful snow this week...it's been a good week here.

Have a great day! And thanks for stopping in!!! :)

Perfect For Us

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I love our house. I love our neighborhood. It is simply perfect for us, quiet, peaceful, and with little traffic. Our neighbors are nice, and most of them take care of their yards and houses well. The only thing I wish was that there was more kids my kids age, but I guess you can't have it all. I wanted to make a layout about our peaceful neighborhood. :)

I used the Good Day Sunshine collection from We R Memory Keepers. If you haven't seen it yet, that is because it is not out yet! ;) But you can see it all here.

Here's some close up's of my layout:

Thanks for stopping in today!!!

Have an awesome day! :)

Creative Cutting

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

We all used to do it when we were kids...fold up paper and cut a design then unfold it to discover our hand cut snowflake. Maybe you cut other things too, like people holding hands. Well I want to encourage you today and tell you that those fun things are not just for kids!! :) You can still do this and use them on your projects. Today I will share with you a layout that uses this technique. And I'll break it down for you. :)

First you will want to take a 12" long piece of paper and fold it four times so it looks like an accordion, as follows:

Step 1:

Take your paper and fold it in two.

Step 2:

Fold the top part over in half again towards the right.

Step 3:

Turn it over and fold the bottom part over in half again towards left.

What you should have in an accordion fold, perfectly spaced, like so:

Now that we have accomplished the folding correctly (which was super easy and you probably didn't even need directions for), let's move to the template. You can drew in pencil your design on your papers and then erase after cutting, but I prefer to draw my design on a transparency with marker so I can see it very well. That is what I have done here in my pictures, it is a transparency that you are seeing on top.

Here's my hand drawn template:

Then take your scissors or craft knife and cut out your design through all of the layers.

What you have should look something like this:

Now unfold. :)

You can do this same thing smaller or bigger, or with more folds. Play around and find what you like. Here I folded it into 8 instead of 4, like so:

And got this:

I need to fix my curve on my top part of the bridge because that one looks more like the people holding hands or something...kinda weird. But you get my point. :)

Now here's the layout I made using my bridge:

It uses the fabulous Summer At The Seaside collection from The ScrapCake. Which was perfect for this layout. Here are some close up's:

Hope you have enjoyed my post today!!! If you try this technique, doesn't have to be the bridge, let me know so I can come check it out! :)

Have a fantastic day!

BasicGrey + Hero Arts

2011-10-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last week BasicGrey and Hero Arts had a blog hop and I had a layout up on the BasicGrey blog for it. Here it is:

It uses the beautiful Little Black Dress collection with coordinating stamps. :)

Here are some close up's:

And after laying all those strips on my layout I cut off the parts hanging off...and then used them for a card. That way I didn't waste all those yummy scraps. :)

I just love that BasicGrey and Hero Arts have collaborated and that there are stamps that coordinate with the BG lines. I just love to stamp, I love what it adds to a project.

Ok, well thanks for popping in today!!!

Have an awesome day!!!

We party hard.

2011-10-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

So New Year's Eve has never been a huge celebration in our family. We mostly spend time as a family, playing games, and then we stay up and watch the ball drop on tv. So recently I was asked to make a New Year's Eve layout and I knew I had few pictures and no real celebration photos. So I scrapped the "non-celebration" and the fact that we tried to make it to midnight.

I used the Life of the Party collection from BasicGrey. :)

Here are some close up's:

There you have it. You can see how hard we party. :)

Have a FANTASTIC Monday!

Pamela's World of Scrap

We're Switching It Up!

Skipping Stones Sketch and Fancy Pants Wave Searcher

What's Up?

Summer Studs

Patchwork is FUN!

Fancy Some More New Fancy Pants Projects?

Skipping Stones Designs Sketch

Projects using the NEW STUFF!!! :)

Celebrations! :)

A Fancy Layout and Some Fancy Sneaks

Another Sketch :)

New Challenge

Surprise!

Are You Feeling Lucky?

Sneak! :)

Skipping Stones Hop!

Inspiration is everywhere!!!!

Cards and a DT CALL :)

Endings Are Sad

Construction....

Skipping Stones

C'est Magnifique

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Saying Goodbye to 2011

My Top Ten from 2011

Christmas Blessings

And the Winner is....

Collection Collision

Spellbinders Series: Making Cards with Large Dies **AND GIVEAWAY**

A Christmas Layout :)

Spellbinders Series: Stenciling

Random Thought Thursday (and a layout)

Brrr...

A Christmas PAPER Table Runner

Spellbinders Series: Embossing

Random Thought Thursday (and a wreath!)

Challenges

Christmas Cards

December Daily

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

A Bunch of Cards

Combining Challenges & Collections

Traditions

Spellbinders Series: Think Negatively

Random Thought Thursday (and a card)

Fall Artistry

Once Upon A Sketch challenge and a New Christmas Layout!!

A Gift for a Teacher

Spellbinders Series: Butterflies and Brackets

Random Thought Thursday (and a layout)

Let your imagination and creativity out! :)

Playing

He feels the pain.

Dear Santa

Fancy Filters

Easy Canvas Prints Round 2

Sometimes it's hard.

The Truth Comes Out :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Fancy Cards

Flags are Hot! :)

Perfect For Us

Creative Cutting

BasicGrey + Hero Arts

We party hard.

Spellbinders Series: Making Cards with Large Dies AND GIVEAWAY