With our December 2009 issue already out and our January 2010 issue right around the corner (can you believe that?), it’s time to announce our 2010 Dream Team. This talented group of 10 women will bring you fresh designs in every 2010 issue of our magazine, as well as act as stellar magazine representatives at various events and activities.

Let’s get to their names and faces (and a few get-to-know-you questions), shall we? Drum roll, please . . .

Congratulations to the following 2010 CK Dream Team members:

Cindy Tobey

1. How long have you scrapbooked? 12 or 13 years now.

2. What is your favorite technique? Stitching, either by hand or machine. A close second would be painting.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Buttons or decorative brads. It would be so hard for me to choose just one type, though.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Junk mail, catalogs, home decor, book covers, clothing tags . . . everywhere, really.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? This is always a hard question for me to answer. Organized, quirky and ever-changing.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? The creative process. I love that I’m preserving family memories, but it’s the process that keeps me coming back. I LOVE it!

Deena Wuest

1. How long have you scrapbooked? I started paper scrapbooking in 2000, shortly after my first daughter was born. I was actually one of those people who swore I would never try digital scrapbooking. Ha. Can you imagine? It was five years later when I realized I was drafting every layout on the computer and using it to design and print my text. Piecing everything together manually turned into the last step, as if it were almost an afterthought. Finally, when my toddler ate half a layout and repeatedly date-stamped his shirt, I reluctantly walked through a Photoshop tutorial. I completed my first digital layout in 2005, and I was completely and utterly in love. I still thank my then-destructive two-year-old son for helping me find my passion.

2.  What is your favorite technique? I don’t know if it’s officially a ”technique,” but I love using bold typography on my layouts. The fact that you can create art using just letters and numbers is so fascinating to me. Honestly, I get excited over the placement of text. (I’m still not sure if I should be alarmed by that or not.) While I love fonts and have over 1,000 of them on my computer, I use the same journaling font on around 90% of my pages. At first, I seriously thought I needed a support group. I’ve since embraced it and actually found that using the same font provides a sense of continuity in my albums. Hmm. Who knew?

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Interesting question. Since most of my layouts are digital, I am going to claim the “digital brush” to be an embellishment. Brushes add so much to a layout and can range from graphic and bold to soft and subtle. I love the flexibility and freedom they provide. You can adjust the color, size, opacity and blend mode. You can combine them, delete portions . . . the list goes on. It’s complete creative control. I love that!

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Everywhere. While I love to be inspired by clever design found in advertisements, books, billboards, movie posters and CD covers, I also find myself being inspired by the small things. An unusual color scheme found on a candy wrapper, the texture of a blanket or a spoken phrase heard over the radio have all sparked scrapbook layouts.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Simple. Clean. Graphic.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love the fact that this amazing hobby allows me to combine my passion for my family with my passion for design. I love that it provides a creative outlet where I’m free to try cool, new things, to experiment and to play. But mostly, I love what it allows me to leave for my family. It’s more than documenting what they wore for Halloween or what they received for their birthdays. Granted, that’s important information. But even more so I want them to know how much they are loved. I have always considered each layout to be a “love note” that just happens to contain a sprinkling of life events. To me, that’s what scrapbooking is all about. And that’s why I love it.

Jen Jockisch

1. How long have you scrapbooked? 6 years.

2. What is your favorite technique? Anything using foam adhesive. I love the depth and dimension it adds to pages.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? The one thing I can’t do without is patterned paper. I love mixing different colors and patterns and finding funky combinations.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Home-design blogs and ads on Nick Jr. (Seriously, there is some great stuff there.)

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Layered, fun and a little whimsical.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I like that I’m not only doing something I love, but I’m actually being productive by documenting my family’s story.

Kim Watson

1. How long have you scrapbooked? Nearly five years. I started when my little boy was six months old. I wanted to journal his life in a creative, meaningful way.

2. What is your favorite technique? Coming from a fashion background, I love stitching and using fabric. Paper crafting and creating my own embellishments also make the list.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Alphas, definitely alphas.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Fashion, craft world, photography and interior design.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Feminine with a touch of whimsy.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love that it satisfies me on so many levels: my need for a creative outlet, my love of writing and my interest in photography. Above all, the most important reason is to leave a legacy for my children.

Laura Vegas

1. How long have you scrapbooked? I have scrapbooked for about 14 years now. I started a year before my oldest daughter was born.

2. What is your favorite technique? Collaging is a technique, right? I love to collage my layouts together–whether it’s making photo collages or just arranging my photos and patterned papers into a collaged look to fill up the page. It’s like piecing together a puzzle, and I just love arranging things until they fit together to my liking.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? This really isn’t fair to all the other fabulous embellishments out there, but I would have to pick ribbon. The majority of my layouts have ribbon used in one way or another. Since ribbon can be used in so many ways, I never get bored with it.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? My main inspiration comes from either my photos or product. Great photos can be the starting point for so many layouts. If the photos don’t inspire me, then most likely product will. I’m very product driven, and I will often create layouts just because I want to use certain products or papers, without even knowing what photos I am going to use. So my layouts have been known to start with photos or end with photos. Both ways work for me.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? My style is definitely clean and linear, with a lot of straight lines. I gravitate toward bright, fun colors, and I love to use many photos on my layouts. I’m also a big fan of embellishments, and I love to find the perfect amount of fun “stuff” to complete my layouts.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love that I’m recording memories and events. Just by looking at their scrapbook albums, my girls will always know what happened in our lives. But I think what I love most about scrapbooking is the creative release it gives me. I spend most of my days doing mundane, everyday things over and over. So I feel my happiest when I get some creative time every day to play with paper and embellishments and to have something pretty to show for my time at the end.

Maggie Holmes

1. How long have you scrapbooked? I started back in high school and have been hooked ever since!

2. What is your favorite technique? Right now my favorite technique is color misting. I love to use masks, stencils and anything I can get my hands on that will combine with the color mists to make a cool effect!

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? My first answer would be patterned paper, but I guess that isn’t really an embellishment. Assuming I can’t use patterned paper, I would say chipboard. You can do anything with chipboard and customize it to work with any layout.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Everywhere! Seriously, I am always thinking in creative mode, and I see everything around me—nature, fashion, type, ads, magazines, home decor, photography, etc. Somehow it all mixes and combines in my head and eventually translates into what I create.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Eclectic for sure. I love to mix things–different colors, different patterns and different mediums. I hardly ever use items made to match. Instead, I use bits and pieces from different lines and manufacturers. Combining everything together is where the magic happens for me.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love two things about scrapbooking. I love that I’m capturing and recording our family story. Our lives pass by so quickly, and I can’t imagine not having all my albums to look back on. The second thing I love is the creative process and the fulfillment and joy I get from scrapbooking. It just feels great to pull all these beautiful products and mediums together to make something that is so unique and meaningful to my family and me.

Sara Winnick

1. How long have you scrapbooked? I’ve been scrapbooking since my daughter Anna was born in 2002–seven and one-half years!

2. What is your favorite technique? It’s impossible to choose just one!  I have a thing for clear embossing, but I also love piecing together various elements to create cool titles.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Only one? It’s a toss-up between chipboard hearts from Heidi Swapp for Advantus and Flair from American Crafts.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Real Simple magazine never fails me.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? I love bold colors and stripes, so I often use them on my pages.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love creating new pages, but there’s nothing quite like flipping through old layouts remembering.  I scrapbook for so many reasons, but to remember is the biggest reason I love this hobby.

Susan Weinroth

1. How long have you scrapbooked? Since 2004.

2. What is your favorite technique? I love to machine-stitch and sew little tidbits to my pages.

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Hmmmmmm. That’s tough! I’d probably have to go with rhinestone brads from American Crafts–they are a current favorite of mine!

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Home decorating magazines, various favorite websites and storefront displays.

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Clean and colorful with a few fun twists thrown in!

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I love that scrapbooking has become my “job” and that it allows me to stay at home with my toddler-aged son, while at the same time allowing me to preserve my family’s photos and memories.

Suzy Plantamura

1. How long have you scrapbooked? I’ve been scrapping forever. I made scrapbooks in high school with memorabilia, cards, schoolwork, etc. The only difference was they didn’t have any pictures! Once I had Sophie (who is now ten), I started scrapping the way I do now, with lots of photos and journaling.

2. What is your favorite technique? Anything that includes markers–I love hand journaling, doodling, adding borders or coloring in stamped images. Markers are so much fun!

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Probably ribbon—I can’t seem to make a layout without it.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? I don’t spend a lot of time getting inspired. As soon as I see pictures and products, I feel ready to go! When I make the time, I find inspiration everywhere! Catalogs, magazines, books, posters, nature, fashion, home decor–it all speaks to me! If I really wanted to get inspired, I would blog hop more often. Again, time prohibits my ability to do this, but there are so many online resources available to inspire us scrappers!

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? I’d like to say whimsical, but I don’t always feel that from my pages. But I try! My mathematical mind wants things neat, tidy and aligned, but my creative side wants things messy and artistic. I struggle to balance the two. I wish I could scrap more freely without any constraints!

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? There is nothing I don’t like about scrapbooking. I like every little bit of it–from starting with buying products to taking the photos to designing the pages. It’s all soooooo fun! There’s nothing more fun to me than getting a new box of products (especially if they’re free!) and sorting them all and organizing them. It’s pure heaven for this girl!

Wendy Sue Anderson

1. How long have you scrapbooked? Forever! I remember helpling my mom when I was a little girl. We used rubber cement (yikes!!) to glue school papers, birthday cards, etc. into a big, green scrapbook. I made my own high-school scrapbook in a magnetic photo album (yikes again!). After I married, I discovered Pebbles in My Pocket on my lunch break one day. I’ve been scrapbooking (safely) almost every day since then!

2. What is your favorite technique? I love machine-stitching on my projects. My parents bought me a sewing machine as a college graduation gift. It’s my favorite scrapbooking tool!

3. If you were allowed only one scrapbooking embellishment to use on a layout, what type of embellishment would you choose? Hmmm, I would use buttons. Or ribbon.

4. Where do you look for design inspiration? Everywhere: catalogs, magazines, websites, blogs, picture books, shampoo bottles, junk mail, the grocery store . . .

5. How would you define your scrapbooking style? Clean, simple, cute, consistent.

6. What do you like most about scrapbooking? I really enjoy being creative, but I think my favorite part is seeing my kids enjoy the pages in their scrapbooks. I’m glad they’ll always have a record of the cute things, fun events and interesting family stories from their childhoods.

***

We’re thrilled to have each of these talented gals on our CK Dream Team for the coming year. They have already brought so much to our magazine and are sure to inspire you in the year to come.

Thanks to Our Dream Team Sponsors
To get their CK year off to an awesome start, we sent each of these gals a lovely welcome gift provided by our 2010 Dream Team sponsors. A great big thank-you goes out to the following incredible companies:

Adornit – Carolee’s Creations, Advantus, American Art Clay Company, American Crafts, Anna Griffin, BasicGrey, Bazzill Basics Paper, Bella Blvd, Bisous, Bo-Bunny Press, Buttons Galore, C.R. Gibson, Clearsnap, Close To My Heart, Colorbök, Core’dinations, Cornish Heritage Farms, Cosmo Cricket, The Crafter’s Workshop, Creative Memories, Die Cuts With a View, Dimensions, Doodlebug Design, Dyno Merchandise, EK Success, Elmer’s, Eyelet Outlet, Fancy Pants Designs, Fiskars Americas, GlueArts, Glue Dots International, Graphic 45, Hambly Screen Prints, Helmar Adhesives, Hero Arts, iLoveToCreate, a Duncan Enterprises Company, Imaginisce, Inkadinkado , It Takes Two, Jenni Bowlin Studio, Jillibean Soup, K&Company, Karen Foster Design, Krylon, Little Yellow Bicycle, Maya Road, McGill, Mimi Collections, Pebbles Inc., Piggy Tales, Pink Paislee, Prima, QuicKutz, River City Rubber Works, Sakura, Sandylion, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, ScrapGirls, Scrapper’s Guide, SEI, Singer, Sounds Easy, Spellbinders, Stampendous!, Stampin’ Up!, Technique Tuesday, Therm O Web, Unibind, We R Memory Keepers, Zva Creative

A New Contributing Writer
In addition to announcing our Dream Team, we have a talented new contributing writer to announce. Mou Saha, a wonderful member of our 2009 Dream Team, has joined our writer roster. We’re delighted to have her working with us in this capacity next year! Congrats, Mou!

A Note from You
Now, please join us in welcoming our newest creative crew by leaving a comment. You’re welcome to suggest ideas you’d like to see them cover in the year ahead, or you can simply give them a happy e-hello. Either way, we know they’ll love hearing from you!

Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor

It’s the scariest day of the year! Are you all set to go out and do a little spooking?

I have to admit, I’ve never really liked dressing up for Halloween. (The photo at left is one of only three that I could find of myself all dressed up!). But there are other Halloween traditions I like just fine: decorating with spooky spiders, bats and brooms. Carmel apples (I can really get behind those). Carving pumpkins is always fun, too.

Isn’t it funny that we carve pumpkins for Halloween? We all just accept that it’s a Halloween tradition as children, but have you ever wondered why we carve this large fruit from the squash family? Halloween started as the Gaelic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which celebrated the end of the “light” half of the year and passage into the “dark” half of the year. People celebrated this event by displaying lighted turnips.  Since the Celts didn’t have pumpkins (a new world food), turnips had to do. I’m glad we’ve switched to carving something I can actually fit my hand into!

What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Is it the candy? The costumes?  Pulling the guts out of a poor little orange gourd? Or is it the new and exciting scrapbooking products that come out at this time of year? Yep, I thought that was probably the one!

If you missed our look at new Halloween product in our October issue, or just want to see more of what you love, here are some Halloween products that would be a treat to own.

Carving Pumpkins and Happy Halloween, EK Success.

Dancing Ghosts paper, Halloween Hodge Podge paper, and Halloween Stacked Statement,Karen Foster Design.

The Halloween Stack, Die Cuts With A View

From all of us at Creating Keepsakes, have a happy and safe Halloween!

Brittany Beattie, Managing Editor

Lori Anderson, Online Managing Editor

Dorathy Gilchrist, Associate Editor

Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor

And the whole gang!

Be safe tonight!
Lara Penrod, Senior Editor

Hello again, blog readers!

Do you sew on your pages? I love the look, and after reading Ali Edwards’ article “15 Easy Stitching Techniques” in the October issue of Creating Keepsakes, I’m itching to pull out my needle and thread.

Whether you’re already using sewing machine or hand-stitching on your layouts or have never ventured into either technique, Ali’s article has so many great tips to share. Come along with me, and let’s get stitching!

Nervous about keeping your stitches straight? Don’t be! Sometimes, a little waviness can be oh-so-charming. Check out the cool wavy border that Ali added to her “Generations” page. So pretty!

I like to stitch by hand—my grandmother taught me to embroider when I was a little girl. Even though it can be time consuming, it’s relaxing and a great way to multi-task when I’m watching TV. Check out these cute border designs that use basic embroidery stitches—I think these would be darling on a page:

Need a refresher on basic stitches? Here’s an easy guide:

One tip I have for embroidery: Go ahead and knot the end of your thread (I have no idea why that’s a no-no in embroidery). It makes me feel like the stitching is more secure and I haven’t been able to see a difference in my projects.

Do you have any tips for stitching (by hand or machine) on your pages? Leave us a comment—we love hearing from you!

Lori Fairbanks
Product Editor, Creating Keepsakes

P.S. Be sure to enter the Stitching Sweepstakes before Oct. 31, 2009. Click here to enter to win one of 10 prize packages featuring cool products from these manufacturers:

• Die Cuts With a View
• Oriental Trading Company
• The Crafter’s Workshop
• Timeless Touches

I love autumn and all the changing colors. It’s my favorite time or year. This kit was right up my ally. Here are my projects.

This one is using the new BoBunny Kitchen Spice collection

This photo was taken by Lisa McDonald. I used the Die Cuts with a View Green stack

And some cards:

It’s day two of CHA Wrap-Up Week on our blog and there are very good things in store. For starters, I want you to grab your site-seeing shoes because we’re about to embark on CK’s CHA Cute Booth Tour. You’ll join Lori Fairbanks and me on this walk of the CHA floor, where we’ll stop at some of the cutest show booths in town. Here’s your itinerary. Let’s hit the floor!

CK’s Cute Booth Tour Itinerary

* Stop #1: Sassafras Booth—Check out the happiest little monsters in town and find out who one of them reminds me of.

* Stop #2: Doodlebug Design Booth—Who knew Santa and his Doodle elves worked in Orlando? This sweet stop screams Christmas in July and offers new and stylish organization solutions for you use in your cute space.

* Stop #3: Die Cuts With A View Booth—Say cheese! This booth comes complete with a photo booth and some serious peace and love. Groovy!

Product Demo

Now that we’ve got the lay of the land, I think it’s time we learn some creative die-cutting techniques. This product demo from Spellbinders will have you looking at letterpress in a new way, and Kazan Clark, the gal demonstrating, is about as delightful as they come!

A Look Inside

Ready for one more? Okay, how about a look inside the Ribbon Ring booth, where you’ll find an easy ribbon-storage idea as well as some super tasty crafting treats. Pour yourself a glass of milk. You’re going to need it after viewing these sweetie pie ideas!

That’s it for Day 2. Did you have fun? I know I did—maybe it’s true what the say about blondes having more fun. Peace.

Giveaway

No, I haven’t forgotten that we have CHA goodies to give away today. Leave me a comment here, letting me know what your Day 2 highlight is. Maybe it’s those ribbon chocolates that have you salivating. Or perhaps it’s the impressive ideas presented by Spellbinders. We’d love to know what stands out to you on this, day 2 of our post CHA adventures. Thanks!

I’ll see you again tomorrow!

Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor

Well, my goodness it has been a while since I gave a away a free template! I had the design itch the other night and came up with this:

Library card: Lindsay's stamp Stuff, Rubber stamps, Pink Persimmon (buttons), SU! (words), Technique Tuesday (Stitches), Paper: DCWV, K&Co., Punch: Martha Stewart

I made the bracket edge card in PSP and save it as a .jpg file then opened up my handy-dandy Sure Cuts a Lot 2 clicked the “trace” button and poof! saved it as an svg! I imported in to the original scal just to be sure it would cut there too and, good news, it does!Here is the scalloped bracket edge card:

Scallop Bracket-Edge card, download links below

I used brand new paper from DCWV (it’s from the Be Mine and the Mod Retro stacks) The Library Card is one of my Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff digital stamps (only a dollar folks!) and the cute buttons are brand new from Pink Persimmon! This next card is a bit simpler, I used the regular bracket edge card template:

Regilar Bracket-Edge card, download link below Makes a great minialbum too!

And this one was the easiest! I simply stamped my image and embossed it with white EP on brown card and trimmed it into a circle, hot glued a flower on a 4 1/2″ card, hot glued my stamped panel then hot glued vintage buttons all around. I also used pink metallic rub ons (remember that shiny paste from back in the day) to give the edges of my card and the embossed circle a bit of shabby bling!

This only took minutes to make!

Here are the download links:

For a printable template click here. Both scallop and strait edge are on this template.

For the regular bracket-edge card svg template that you can cut with you Cricut if you have SCAL software click here.

For the scalloped bracket edge svg template that you can cut with you Cricut if you have SCAL software click here.

I hope you like this freebie! It is very versatile, in fact, I have used this template to make a mini album that I will share with you in a few days Thanks for stopping by and till next time happy crafting!

Okay, so I am a tomboy scrapper.  The great part about this ribbon kit is that it can be super girly, masculine, or neutral.

I never really been into sheer ribbons until I actually started to play and create with them.  They make nice, subtle background strips and “leaf” accents as I did on my gnome card above.

I do love tags, but find them outdated at times.  At the same time, a tag just doesn’t feel right without a ribbon topper.  Sheer ribbon works again, by accenting my color choices here, yet still blending in transforming this tag into a more trendier journaling spot.

Pink polka dot ribbon and the dark green velvet ribbon is pure girlyness here on my sparkly lemonade card.

I used the green pom-pom trim ribbon strand to add a little hip and whimsical feel to my thank you card.  As you can see, it is wide enough to place a larger sized brad through the trim.

The Fairy Garden kit just screams out shabby-chic to me.  The pink velvet ribbon is feminine and I love the added texture it brings to projects.

I fell in love with this sleepy fox print I found on IndieFixx, but wasn’t exactly sure how or where I would display it in my home.  I decided to alter a random wooden frame I found in my closet with a nature theme to mimic this print.  I trimmed out the inner frame edge in the dark green velvet.  The neat part about the dark green velvet is that the opposite side of it is a smooth light green.  I love when I tie a bow with the green velvet that it shows both sides and mixes textures.  For a dainty look, I overlayed the green lace trim over the velvet.  If you attempt to do this, I would recommend Zip Dry clear liquid adhesive or something similar with some heavy books placed on top.

I made this mini-book as part of DT Member Ann’s Go Green Challenge.  It is made from 4 toilet paper rolls.

The toilet paper roll is flattened with the end open to create a little slot where you can slip in little tags and extra pictures for this family mini-book.

Thanks for looking!

Boy oh boy was I tickled to go to my mailbox yesterday and see the August/September copy of “The Stampers Sampler”, I was even more thrilled when I saw one of my cards on page 11! It is my first time in that particular magazine and the funny thing is I sent the card to them over a year ago, It pays to be patient I guess!

I’ve had the idea for a beach pail card rolling around in my brain for a few weeks, well today I got around to making it:

Pattern Paper: DCWV, Template: See download links below

Inside of card. Stamp: Plaid

Seriously folks this is an easy one! It only takes minutes to make, and it only uses some cardstock, paper and a brad. Great for party invitations when you have to make a bunch! The templates include the card-base, shovel and handle. I cut mine on my cricut using SCAL software but there is a printable version too

Here is a printable PDF version of the beach pail template.

Here is a svg version of the Beach Pail Card and elements to cut with your cricut+scal software.

Have fun making these quick and easy cards for your next summertime party! You could also make it smaller and stitch around the open part to make a hidden journaling pocket for a scrapbook page.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend and till next time Happy Crafting!

Happy Friday folks! I got a chance to play with the sketches from 2sketches4you and here are the cards I came up with:

Paper: MME, DCWV, Digi-stamp" Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, Rubber Stamp: SU!, Lables: Scrapnfont, die cuts: Cricut, Ribbon Dollar Tree

I used Laura’s Sketch 30 as well as the versatile bonus sketch. I printed the cupcake digital stamp on yellow cardstock and colored them with prismacolor pencils (see yesterdays post for a tutorial) then trimmed it and adhered it with foam tape. On the other card I cut a flourish with my cricut but I didn’t like the color so I flipped the paper over and inked it with whispers vanilla ink then I added one of my crocheted flowers, a ribbon and a stamped sentiment.

This card was made with Laura's Sketch #30

This card was done with Kim's bonus sketch.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

This is the first week of summer vacation. Imagine my surprise that I had a chance to finish a card using the sketch over at 2 sketches 4 You today. I had given my kids a stack of magazines, glue sticks, scissors, some old scrapbook paper and glitter and they collaged happily long enough for me to make this:

Digital Stamp" Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, Rubber Stamps: Hero Arts, SU!, Crafty Secrets, Paper: DCWV

I must say I wasn’t in love with the sketch because I was a bit to symmetrical and I am an asymmetrical kind of girl…you could call me off-balanced, I guess but you know what? This is what a challenge should be about, to push you to create something that you ordinarily wouldn’t.

I used many stamps on this project: The Flag Bunting is one of my Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff Designs, the star stamp is a jumbo wheel from Stampin Up, The “4″  is from Crafty Secrets and the ribbon stamp is from Hero Arts.

Well that is all for today, I hear a soccer game breaking out in the hallway and I feel that parental supervision may be required (hey, at least the kids are playing together LOL) thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Not that I want to toot my own horn (OK I’m Tootin’ here!) I just really love this card and I have waited months to be able to share it with you, see it was in the May issue of Vamp Stamp News as part of their stamp masking challenge and they want to keep their stamp art as fresh as possible for their readers so I waited til now to show you (cuz the June issue is now available and I think it’s OK

Stamps: Crafty Secrets, Inkadinkado, Paper: DCWV, Die Cuts: Cricut Accent Essentails cart

I had a ball making this card and can you blame me the stamp is darling, it is by Crafty Secrets. First you stamp the girl/swing on a die cut shape then again on a scrap and cut the scrap out, place the scrap over the girl, ink up a brayer with a blue Kaliadacolor ink pad and roll right on over, then stamp a larger script stamp in black on that. Remove the mask and color with pencils. It’s really quite easy!

If you have never had the pleasure of reading VSN check them out, there is a list of stores that carry it here and it is only $4 an issue! If you subscribe it is less and it is packed with hard core stamping info. You can still order the May issue from the website if you want to learn more about masking, in the June issue it is all about die cutters (and yes, I have a card in there too but you will have to get the magazine to see it It is a good investment if you are considering a die cutter purchase in the future. BTW I have no affiliation with VSN except being lucky enough to be published in there from time to time, it’s just a good magazine I think you should check out.

Have a great weekend, I hope the sun comes out after a week of rain, if not we will just have to stay inside and craft Till next time Happy Crafting!

Admit it, you have a drawer (or 2…or 5!) filled with supplies that you loves so much that you couldn’t bear to use them, maybe you were saving them for that “special” page and a couple of years later your treasures are outdated! Don’t throw them away, mix them up with some new product and use them, after all you loved them when you bought them, they don’t spoil. Can you find the moldy oldies in this page? They are over 5 years old!

Die Cuts: Cricut, PP: DCWV, Making Memories, Creatrive Memories, Stickers: EK Success, Design by: Lindsay Weirich

I’m sure anyone who has been scrapping for a few years recognizes the typewriter stickers from EK success, I loved everything that Rebecca Sower designed and I horded these stickers like crazy. And how about the antiquated journaling block, it was a free gift for attending a Creative Memories party 5 years ago! Speaking of CM I know a lot of you have the circle and oval cutters, I made the clips on this page with them, simply place an oval cutter on a piece of pattern paper and cut 3/4 of the way around with the green blade then replace the green with the red blade and cut all of the way around. I found a bag of those I made may years ago hanging out with those stickers! Oh yes, the pattern paper scraps behind the photos are oldies too (about 4 years) the only new stuff was the background paper (DCWV new boy stack) and the cricut cartridge (opposites Attract) that I cut my free vinyl from a sign shop with. Don’t be afraid to use old product!!!

…And now for something completely different…

An award from Dawn, thanks

Dawn sent me this lovely award.  Thanks hun!

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows.

A) I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link…

B) I must list 10 honest things about myself.
1) I am a huge Sci Fi fan, my favorites are Battle star Galectia, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the X-files and I can’t wait to see the new Star Trek Movie!
2) I don’t like to travel (although I wish I did)
3) I create something everyday;)
4) I once considered clowning as a profession (and I have the unicycle and juggling paraphernalia to prove it)
5) I love being lazy and hanging out in the backyard with my kids.
6) I have never been camping
7) I almost always have shoes on
I’ve been a vegan (strict vegetarian) for 15 years
9) doing housework makes me angry
10) I swear when I drive and clean but I try not to if the kids are with me;)

C) I must put a copy of the The Honest Scrap logo on my blog.

D) I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links.There are so many wonderful blogs out there… Here are at least 7…I’ll try to pick some newer blogs this time:

Linda

Diane

Cindi

Erin

Leanne

Cheri

Ceal

Check out their awesome blogs! Thanks for stopping by and until tomorrow happy crafting!

Jennifer Schaerer

It’s been entertaining to listen as the former teachers around here talk about what they would be doing right now if they were still teaching and not working on our magazines. Cath, Susan, and Beth spent the majority of their adult years sharpening the intellect of students in many grades and many subjects before they landed here at Paper Crafts and Creating Keepsakes magazines.

I’m sure the end of the school year brought a feeling of eagerness to recharge their batteries, coupled with the satisfaction of sending their giddy students tumbling headlong into the summer with a brain full of new and exciting information. It’s unfortunate that influencing young lives in such profound ways seems completely unrewarded by the historically low salaries teachers earn.

Although magazine editors aren’t much higher on the pay scale than teachers (but the dream job factor is certainly higher!), I like to give my kids’ teachers something at the end of the school year to show that I appreciate all they do. I sure don’t want to add to a collection of dust-gathering trinkets (coffee mugs, keychains, anything with an apple on it…), so this is one of the few times I know the perfect answer is a gift card.

And thanks to our most recent special issue 225 Cards & Gifts, I’ve got so many options for adding a handmade touch to the gift card holder that will help me convey just how much I do care and appreciate them.

This design by the very talented Kimberly Crawford seems just perfect for what I want to do:

By changing the sentiments, this design can be anything you need it to be!

I’m going to replace “for you” with “thank you” and on the inside, “Happy birthday to you” will become “The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.” And I just happen to have this super cute paper stack from Die Cuts With a View that will be perfect for a design honoring a teacher.

Since I’m making about a dozen of these, I’m glad it’s so simple and an economical 4” x 6” size. Here’s the diagram for making the pop-up holder for the gift card inside:

Some people believe that the three biggest reasons to become a teacher are June, July and August, and I say it is a well-deserved break. So to all the teachers who work so hard each day in the special job they have, a heartfelt “thank you!” to all of you!

Jennifer

Masking is one of the best tricks a stamper can have up her sleeve. It gives depth, perspective and lets you use your stamps in totally different ways. There is an awesome feature on masking in the May issue of Vamp Stamp News (I just so happen to have never-before-seen work featured in that issue too!) so if you want more techniques be sure to pick up a copy at your local stamp shop (I think Barnes & Nobles carries it too) or subscribe on line before it is sold out! Here is a card I made last night using a positive and negative (mortise) mask:

Wow! that card is bright! Paper: DCWV, Stamps: Stampin Up!, Watercolors: M. Graham & Co.

Here is how you do it:

Easy masking step-by-step!

Well, I am off to a 6 year old’s birthday party and the card is for him. I know the kid will be more interested in what is in the present than the card but his mom is a scrapbooker and she always recycles my cards of her scrapbook pages so I always try to make something they both will enjoy and I hope you enjoyed it too. BTW the stamp set I used is by Stampin up, it was a splurge for me (around $30) but worth every penny, it is such a fun easy set to use. To color it I used my M. Graham & Co watercolors on plain cheap Georgia Pacific white cardstock. I love the easy fun look it gives it (plus water-coloring is the quickest coloring method I know) and I love the results! Have a great weekend, It is going to be sunny and near 80 in the northeast!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

I’m sure this isn’t a very big deal for most of you. But for someone who’s main scrap shopping opportunities are Michaels, Target, and Walmart, you have to understand my excitement. WE JUST GOT A BIG LOTS!!!!!

I have always been so jealous reading those lovely, enabling message board posts about ‘the finds’ everyone has at places like Archivers (never been there), Joann’s (don’t have any), Hobby Lobby (nopey, nopey), and Big Lots. So now, I’m at least 1/4 of the way into that exciting world. And luckily for me – She of the Empty Wallet – it’s the most bargain-minded store that came to my ‘hood. So forgive my overdoing it with the photos but just thought I would share all the scrappy stuff I found at MY – yes, MY – Big Lots the other day.

LOTS OF STICKERS, MAT STACKS, and AMERICAN CRAFTS EMBELLIE JARS

QUOTE STACKS….for Cinco de Mayo…Hey, you never know!

8.5×11 CARDSTOCK PACKS

PHOTO STORAGE BOXES

A BIG HONKIN’ SCRAPBOOK KIT – I heard a lady in the aisle say that she saw this kit at Costco for $40, but it was only $25 at Big Lots. And there was only one.

TEEN KITS, CHRISTMAS KITS….

COLORBOK GOODIE BAGS – Tons of misc. stuff for only $12….”$100 value!”

SCRAPBOOK STORAGE OPTIONS AT A GREAT PRICE – I was eyeing those 3-drawer things but I have to see if the dimensions work for my space.

A PRE-DONE SCRAPBOOK – Hey, I’m not opposed to them as long as they are cute….great timesaver! And you can add embellies to make it your own.

CUTE 8X8 ALBUM FOR 5 BUCKS….

YOU 3-RING SCRAPBOOK LOVERS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THESE – I didn’t recognize the brand but the quality seemed good and you can’t beat that price!

LOADS OF 8X8 AND 12X12 ALBUMS!!!

CLOSER LOOK AT AMERICAN CRAFTS RUB-ON BOOKS….

… and AMERICAN CRAFTS ‘ELEMENTS’ RIBBON, AND PRESSED PETALS ‘CHIP CHATTER SHAPES’….

AS SEEN ON TV! THE CRAFT LITE CUTTER – I assume that’s a great price if you’re in the market for one…

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DIE CUTS WITH A VIEW 12X12 ALBUMS – A stunning $8 each! Even the turquoise velvet one…

AND HERE IS WHAT I ENDED UP BUYING: DCWV ‘Old World’ album ($8), AC red ribbon (it was unmarked so she gave it to me for $2), AC ‘Happy Birthday’ rubons, great for card making ($2), Pressed Petals ‘Chip Chatter’ letters in metallic green and red; I’m thinking Christmas layouts ($2 each), DCWV ‘Pocket Full of Posies’ mat stack ($3), so pretty, and metallic words ($1 each). All that shizzle for under $25. Made out like a bandit, I’d say.

Personally, I don’t care if something is NEW or HOT or JUST INTRODUCED AT CHA! If it’s “old” and I like it – and I get a great deal on it – I’m a happy girl. If you’re the same way, don’t forget to check out your Big Lots once in a while. You never know what you’ll find….

A dear friend is moving away so a few days ago I sent her this:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets, Inkadinkado Paper: American Crafts, Cardstock: DCWV

How can you resist the cut ladybug with a suitcase? It is from Crafty Secrets. The paper is from American crafts and the blank Bingo Card is my design and you can download a sheet of 6 blank bingo cards here. I used my kaliadacolor rainbow pad to ink up the fun letter stamps from Inkadinkado (I love these stamps for this technique) then stamped “miss u” on the top of the bingo card. I use a lable maker for the “we will” and added a hit of sparkle wih my homemade dew drops. Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Wow, April must be a popular month because my daughters have 4 friends celebrating birthdays in the first week! When you make birthday cards for children they should be fun, bright and quick to make (kids may not appreciate the hard work that goes into a card when there is a gift to open and cake to eat you know.) These are for a set of twins turning 5 and since I have twin girls myself I decided to play it safe and make identical cards, that way there will be no drama over who’s card is the prettiest or who got pink…it’s true, these are REAL issues, with my girls anyway…and milk DOES taste better in a glittery pink princess cup, you know what I mean?

Double Gate-Fold Cards closed and open. Paper: Die Cuts With a View (the glitter stack), Stamps: Inkadinkado, Crafty Secrets

The coolest thing is that these took only minutes to make! I cut a 12″x12″ DCWV glitter cardstock sheet in half then I used my Scor-Pal to make the double gate-fold card but if you don’t have one just fold your card at 2″, 4″, 8″ and 10″. Then I stamped some cupcakes and colored them with markers, punched them out and adhered them to the card (this by the way justifies the new clear stamp impulse buy I made the other day, I’ve used this Inkadinkado set 3x already, I think it is called Sweet Stuff.) I stamped the frame (also by Inka) ans then stamped “Happy Birthday” inside, that stamp is from the Crafty Secrets “girlfriends” set.  I cut the label on the inside of the card with my Cricut (Accent Essentials cart), inked the edges and drew on the stitches and adhered it with double stick tape. Try this next time you need a quick card!

It’s fun to make cards for kids because you can use all the fun unsophisticated stuff you wouldn’t use on a grown up card and colors, the brighter the better! Don’t forget to stamp on the envelope too, especially if you are mailing it, kids get a real kick out of getting mail! I hope I’ve inspired you to make something fun for a kid or just a kid at heart! Thanks for stopping by and until nex time happy crafting!

“What is she talking about now?” you are probably thinking, I’m talking about the gift of crafting. Every year I donate a painting, gift card set or some other artsy-fartsy thing to be auctioned off to benefit a local woman’s shelter. The last few years I have made gift bags full of assorted greeting cards. I make extra throughout the year and gather them up when auction time rolls around. While someone may not need a painting everyone need greeting cards so the next time you are making a card make a few to donate, you can send them to out troops overseas or package them up for a charity auction. Here is this years:

Stamps: The Rubber Cafe, Paper DCWV, Strathmore, Die Cuts: Cricut, Nestabilities

If you don’t even have time to use the supplies you have been hording you can purge some of your “unlikely to use” stash and donate the supplies to the children’s ward of a hospital, a local school or a women’s shelter, they will all welcome the supplies and doesn’t it feel good to share?

Speaking of sharing I have some printable watercolor background paper to share. I made it by Spraying a sheet of cardstock with my homemade shimmer spray then I colored my new rubber cafe stamps with watercolor crayons that I QUICKLY dipped in water first and stamped, then sprayed the stamp then stamped again. I did this until the sheet was full. The collage was so pretty that I decided to scan it in case I wanted to use it again then I asked permission form Melissa, the owner of the Rubber Cafe, if I could share the collage and she said “yes!” Note: Making patter paper with stamps is so much fun, please try it, but if you want to scan and share it make sure you get permission first from the company as most companies forbid any mechanical reproduction.

Watercolor stamped paper freebie!

Download the 8 1/2″ x 11″ 300 dpi pattern paper here.

Here is a list of the stamps used in this project (All by The Rubber Cafe): Together, Large Paisley Dragonfly, Small Paisley Dragonfly, Small paisley Butterfly, Floral Swirl, and a valentine stamp.

Gift bag instructions: I used my score pal and a sheet of 12″x18″ Strathmore art paper but you can just measure and fold or wrap the paper around a book to make the gift bag.

Step 1. Score the paper (short side) at 2″, 8″, 10″, and 16″. turn the paper and score 1″ from the top, and 2″ from the bottom. If you are using the score pal you will need to shift the paper up to score the full line, make sure to keep it against the fence. Snip off one of the 2″ squares on the bottom end:

here is the scored box unfolded

here it is folded and glued

Fold ans secure with hot glue. Punch holes and insert ribbon. Decorate as desired. They only take a minute to make and they are so special and inexpensive. Thanks for stopping by and until next time happy crafting!

I made this card as a thank you for a friend who gave us a Pizza Hut gift card for Christmas. Then I thought hey, these would make great pizza party invitations! Think of how much fun kids would have making these:

Cards by Lindsay Weirich 2009, Cardstock: DCWV

I drew my toppings in inkscape and saved them as an svg so you can cut the with Sure Cuts a Lot software and your Cricut machine. Here are the files:

Pepper SVG, Mushroom SVG, Cheese SVG, SCUT file with the crust card base, cheese and sauce, SCUT file with the toppings. Please download all files if you want to make this card. If you don’t have a cricut you can snag my printable template here

here is how to layout your mat 9If using the expression) for the crust and cheese:

layout your paper on the mat like this

Layout your cutting mat this way for the toppings:

layout your paper on the mat like this

cut all the colors on one mat

Or just use the svg files anyway you want. The card base is just two circles welded together, and the sauce is a circle too. If you can manage welding circles you don’t need the scut files but I thought you may find it helpful.

BTW There are enough toppings for 3-4 pizzas there and you could fit more on the paper if you want. Talk about easy invites!

Have a great weekend and happy crafting!

Hi all! A blog reader asked if I could help her make a pillow-box that she could cut with her Cricut and the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge. (Thanks Pam!) Here is what I came up with:

Pillow boxes by Lindsay Weirich 2009. Supplies: SCAL/Cricut, Stamps: The Rubber Cafe

A sweet little tag. Stamps: The Rubber Cafe

Adjustable pillow box: I lengthend the svg file to make a larger box

I really liked it so I made an SVG version for SCAL users and a printable version as well. They are all adjustable but the svg and printable versions are probably the easiest to adjust. The little boxes can be cut on the 6″x12″ cricut and the larger one can be done by hand or on the expression.

Download the files here:

Pillowbox for Cricut Design Studio Users (plantain Schoolbook) here

SVG Pillowbox for SCAL users here

Printable version for everyone else here!

I also used Accent Essentials (it came with my Expression as well as Plantain Schoolbook and man, I love that little cart! I keep it down in the art room with my little bug) to cut the swirls and scallop tags. The stamp is from The Rubber Cafe, you know I saw the stamp in my DT stuff this month and thought “eh” I wasn’t crazy about it but now that I’ve used it I really think it is sweet, plus it’s the perfect size for a tag! I never would have picked it but I am glad to have it. It’s cute don’t you think.

Enjoy, thanks for stopping by and  happy crafting!

Someone on the SCAL Yahoo group was looking for a rocket file to cut with her cricut and I wanted to make a rocket card to celebrate Battlestar Galactica season 4 coming out on DVD and that’s how this project came to be:

I drew the rocket in Inkscape (Thanks Dan for the video tutorial) and saved it as an SVG then in Sure Cuts A lot I imported the file, re-sized it and copy and pasted it then flipped the copy and welded it together at the wing. I used the font “gear box” for the cog window, and “Flamez” for the, well,  flames. Too much information? Don’t worry, I’ve included my scut file too but you need to download the SVG file for the scut to work. I made the scut file with the Expression so you get 2 cards on the mat. Here are the files:

Download the SVG version here

Download the scut version here (you need the svg to use this!)

Here is a printable template:-)

I punched out the holes with my crop a dial and cut a red single rocket and layered it behind. The alien stamps are by Technique Tuesday and the “happy birthday” is from Stampin up. Cardstock is DCWV. I used my faux copictechnique and Bic Mark its to color the alien and robot. Just start with the lightest colors first and work on one section at a time like color the alien head light green, then add darker shadows around the edges then blend them together again with the light. I used cheap smooth Georgia Pacific Cardstock bought by the ream at Sams Club. Works great!

BTW if you make the little paper figures you may want to lamenate them with clear packing tape so they can hold up to being played with!

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the file and happy crafting!

And the really cool part is that for every letter that gets put into the mailbox Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation. So we all went to the mall to mail our letters to Santa today, I cut envelopes (I used my freebie from yesterday of course) out of festive paper and let them write and draw what they wanted for Christmas inside. The set up there was really cute with a big red mailbox and a desk with paper for kids to make their letters if they hadn’t already, then we were off to see the Jolly Old Elf himself! What a day!

I realized I was a few cards short as I mailed my cards yesterday so here is another quick design I came up with:

Stamps: All Night Media, Inque Boutique, PP: DCWV, Chipboard ATB, Tag: HOTP

Directions: Stamp image on a pre-folded cream card. Trim PP slightly smaller than card front and rip out a window for the stamped image to show through. Adhere to card. Scallop edge of card and ink. Stamp the flourish with white acrylic paint onto PP and sprinkle on red glitter white paint is wet. Add chipboard candy cane with a tagger, silver tag with foam tape  and confetti stars with glue.

Don’t forget to visit Macy’s for a memorable moment and a good deed, our trip to the mall was fun and we only spent $2 (that was for the two rides on the carousel!) Talk about frugal! Until next time happy crafting!

Happy Sunday! I will soon be addressing my Christmas cards (right after this post actually) but first I thought I would share some quick and easy cards (10 minute or less!) I made this year.

Download the word search here

Chipboard, Taggetr Tails: Around the Block, Paper: DCWV

The word searches are from an earlier post and the chipboard is by Around the Block (they came in the “Mystery Tote” and there were like a hundred of them!) I attached them with Tagger Tails so the chipboard ornaments would jiggle and have fun movement ans so they can be removed from the card to be used as ornaments or scrapbook accents by the recipient. All the paper is by Die Cuts with a view and the stamps are by Inkadinkado and Plaid.

Now the didi-scrappin designers areoun the globe have been outdoing eachother this holiday, man, I’m worried about filling up my hard drive LOL! here are a few if my faves this week:

Here is a cute kit at digital freebies:

Digital Freebies Friday Freebie

And this cute Tag Album:

Luggage Tag Album by Beth Long

And this “Merry” kit by Krista:

Merry kit from Designs by Krista

And last but not least this blog, Digital Imagery Plus, has been giving away great set of vintage images each day for over a month! Be sure to grab all of their past freebies, here is today’s:

Digital Imagery Plus daily freebies

Remember to leave a comment if you download, it’s the least you can do and it makes their day! Until next time Happy Crafting!

I found a great website the other day that has TONS of free svg and gsd files for download. It’s a French site called Le Craft Robo. You can find the GSD files here and the SVG files here. The only thing I do not like about it is that some stuff you have to download before you can see what it is and if you don’t speak French It’s hard to figure out what you are downloading. That said I found some beautiful stuff and had no trouble using the files. I made this with a file I got there:

Here is the link to that file. I imported the file into scal and chose Blackout mode, then I welded a rectangle to join the two house shapes, then I made a door and window from the basic shapes in the shapes library. It you don’t have a cricut just right click the picture above and save as then print it out and trace it on a piece of cardstock folded in half. Easy peasy!

I used the Paisley boarder stamps from The Rubber Cafe to fancy up the edges, I love this stamp because it adds a bit of elegance to whatever I use it on and it is so versatile! I colored the window and door with ink and I used a scrap of cardstock and foam tape for the “window box”. I put metallic copper cardstock behind the windows.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time Happy Crafting!

Hi there, I learned a neat trick with my Cricut recently and all you need to have is Design Studio (trial version is fine) or Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL). Say you want 12×12 shaped paper (and you don’t want to cut it by hand) but you only have the original Cricut that cuts 6×12. What do you do? Easy. Open the shape you want in your preferred software and rag the corner sizing arrows until it fills the page. You will be enlarging the shape off the mat so don’t release the mouse button until it is the right size. Cut two shapes and piece them together. you can add a piece of card stock on the back for support or hide the seam in the front with a strip of paper or ribbon. Here is mine.

Stamps: Stampin Up, Chipboard:Colorbox, Cricut and SCAL

Have fun playing with this technique!