Strawberry Box

Well we are finally back!!  CHA was a blast!  there are so many fun new lines and products coming out.  It was amazing to see all the vendors together, and all the samples which were displayed.  There were papers of all colors and patterns, new die releases, new products for trying out new techniques, and a whole host of other things.  We have some great new things coming up, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. 

For today, I have a simple project to share.  This little basket was made using a fun template from Hot Off The Press.  These templates are fantastic, because all you need is the plastic template (this one retails somewhere around the $5 amount), a pencil for tracing, and some scissors.  No need for a die cut machine, or a large investment.  The strawberries were made using my Silhouette machine.  There is an available PDF template which you can print and cut, but I really do love the fact that my Silhouette can cut multiples quickly and painlessly.  With a few simple decorations, and a sweet filling of candy, these strawberries are now ready to give to a special someone.

Supplies:

  • Paper:  Poppy Parade, Real Red, More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz CS (Stampin’Up!)
  • Ink:  Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Shabby Shutter, Aged Mahogany  Distress inks (Ranger)
  • Templates/Dies:  Berry Box (Hot off the Press), Strawberry, Silhouette Machine (Silhouette)
  • Other:  Sticky Strip, Gold Brads, White gel pen, candy

 

Pop-up Fruit Drink Card

Today’s card is a cute little pop-up card.  I originally designed this half cylinder pop-up about a year ago for an online class.  The original one that I did was a pop-up princess in a tower.  This time I wanted to alter it to be a fruit drink on a sandy beach.  The card is easy to make, but time consuming (big surprise).  One thing that I will note, is that although I used vellum for the glass, I did find it to be less stiff and “poppy” then CS.  Cardstock gives greater rigidity and makes a better pop!  So by all means, change this up to a simple CS pop-up for greater oomph. 

Supplies:

    • Paper:  Tangerine Tango, CS Vellum, Early Espresso, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky (retired), Creamy Caramel (retired), Kiwi Kiss colored DP (Stampin’UP!), Glitter paper in gold and brown (From Michaels)
    • Ink:  Shabby Shutter, Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Tea Dye, Chipped Saphire, Walnut Stain Distress ink (Ranger inc)
    • Dies/Machines:  Cricut Expression, Silhouette, orange, greeting (Silhouette America), Pack Your Bags Cartridge (Provo Craft)
    • Other:  Sponges, Sticky Strip, Copic Markers, Sponge Daubers, glue, scissors, White gel pen, Black gel pen, Sakura Stardust pen

Pool Party Invite

I wanted to create some cool invites using one of the newer cartridges called Pack Your Bags.  I love the images on this Cricut Cartridge, they are perfect for both summer and vacationing!  This card uses the image found on page 55. 

This cute coconut drink is the perfect image to conjure up visions of poolside parties!  The cuts were all simple and easy to do, and like all Cricut Cartridges, has tremendous versatility!

Supplies:

  • Paper:   So Saffron, Cool Carribean, Creamy Caramel,  Kiwi Kiss, Apricot, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Real Red, Pacific Point (Stampin’UP!), Fancy Pants DP, Unknown DP
  • Ink:Tumbled Glass, Chipped Saphire, Broken China, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Shabby Shutter Distress ink
  • Cartridges/Machines:Cricut Expression, Pack Your Bags Cartridge
  • Other:  Copic markers, 2-way glue pen, dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones, sponges, sponge daubers, White and Black gel pen, Stardust Stickles

 

 

Simple Bookbinding for Journals

 

I am so excited to share today’s project!  What is it?  Well it is a handmade book in which I bound my own pages. 

Now you first question may be, why would you make your own book?  Well for starters, I can never find a book with the papers I like!  I like doing watercolor journaling, and I am very picky about my papers.  You can of course find hand bound journals on Etsy, but you are looking at very expensive prices, and no guarantee on the paper. So I finally decided to take matters in my own hands and start binding myself. 

I am not looking to get a traditional book binding look, but rather a simpler, more approachable method which does not take a lot of money.  I may one day do a more traditional method, but for now I am doing these.  There will be a video of this book being featured next week on Paper Crafter’s Library, as well as an even easier, peasier book binding method.  As soon as my supplies arrive, I will also be feat

Make a Splash Birthday Card

We’ve recently been making some BIG changes to our video content on Paper Crafter’s Library.  One of the changes is to create themed projects – with the theme changing every 1-2 weeks (maybe longer) depending on how many ideas we have for a given theme ( we are doing a bunch of other types of videos as well, which I’ll share in a later post).  For each theme we’re going to create an average of 5-6 projects (maybe more, maybe less again depending on the flow of our ideas).  There will be a variety of project types for each theme as well – cards, scrapbook pages, mini album, 3D item, gift idea etc. The themes we’re planning on over the next couple of months are summer, gardening, wedding and back to school.

Today’s card is the first in the Summer theme.  I actually got the idea for this card from the image you see on the left.  I was browsing google images for some summer-related ideas and found that image.  I loved the look of the flip flops in the puddle of water and got to work seeing what I could create.

Aren’t the flip flops in the picture above absolutely adorable? Since I didn’t have any flip flop stickers, or die cuts, I decided to create my own template – which I am making available exclusively to Paper Crafter’s Library members.  Along with the pdf handout instructions there is of course a video which features a few fun techniques including how to tint Crystal Effects/Ranger Glossy Accents with ink to achieve a realistic water look, and how to use rub-on phrases to create customized greetings.

QUICK TIP: The tinting of the Crystal Effects/Ranger Glossy Accents is a really fun technique.  I drew out the outline of the puddle with the tip of the bottle.  I then put a little drop of Tumbled Glass distress ink refill on a palette.  I dipped a small paintbrush into the ink and then gently swirled the color into the Crystal Effects/Ranger Glossy Accents. In order to get closer to the edges I used the head and tip of a pin.

Supplies:

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie CS (Stampin’ Up!); SP15006 Big Stripes Patterned Paper (Echo Park Splash Collection Kit)
Ink: Tumbled Glass Distress Ink Refill (Ranger – or can use Bashful Blue Classic ink refill from Stampin’ Up!); Daffodil Delight Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!)
Accessories:  ⅛” Marina Mist Taffeta ribbon, Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing folder, GoGo Boots alphabet die, cutting mat, hobby blade, retired chit chat rub-ons, Crystal Effects (or Ranger Glossy Accents), sponge dauber, Tombow Mono Multi-Liquid glue(Stampin’ Up!); Mini Flowers Sticky Puffs (Darice); double-sided adhesive (Thermo-web); Scotch tape (3M); Fabri-Tac (Beacon); tweezers (other)
Template: Mini Flip Flop Template provided by Paper Crafter’s Library

 

 

Just Saying Hello

Today’s card is a simple scene.  While the card layout is very simple, I actually found that it took me a long time to make.  I don’t know what it is about simple cards, but I find them harder to do then intricate cards lol.  So here is my “Simple” card which was hard for me.  I used the Mi Casa stamp set from Hero Arts, and colored it in with my Prismacolor pencils.  The background was cut using the largest of the Small Labels die set, and the scenery was painted with Pan Pastels.  I love the fact that you can use them on any paper surface with great results!

Supplies:

  • Stamps:  Mi Casa (Hero Arts)
  • Ink:  Tumbled Glass, Shabby Shutter, Vintage Photo Distress ink (Ranger inc), Black ink (Memories)
  • Paper:  River Rock, Soft Sky CS (retired) (Stampin’Up!),
  • Coloring Medium:  Prismacolor pencils, Pan Pastels
  • Dies:  Small Labels (Spellbinder)
  • Other:  Sakura Stardust pen, Soft Tools, Wild Wasabi ribbon, White gel pen

 

“Friends” Card Featuring Glitz Vintage Whatnots & Melissa Frances Resin Embellishments

Pre-made embellishments are a fantastic way to pull together a beautiful card in a matter of minutes!  When I was first conceptualizing this card, I started with the vintage-style card from Glitz Design’s Whatnot collection.  The layout of the card just flowed from there. 

I tried to keep my embellishments relatively simple as I didn’t want to take away from the main image.  I did alter the Melissa Frances Resin Embellishment first with some of Ranger’s Sandal Alcohol ink. I then mixed a little of Stampin’ Up!s Taken With Teal Classic ink refill (unfortunately now retired) with some Ranger Glossy Accents to create a colored glaze, which I painted onto the resin embellishment with a small paintbrush. I didn’t cover it too thoroughly as I wanted it to look kind of aged and distressed.

Supplies:

Ink: Tim Holtz Tea Stain Distress ink, Sandal Alcohol Ink (Ranger); Taken With Teal Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!)
Paper: Newsprint DP, Taken With Teal CS (Stampin’ Up!); Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey ink)
Accessories: ink applicator tool, felt squares (Ranger); Vintage Resin Embellishments (Melissa Frances); Bright Turquoise mini roses, Floret Collection roses (Prima Marketing); Stampin’ Dimensionals, mini glue dots (Stampin’ Up!); Scrap Dots (Helmar)

 

 

Snail Mail

I am in love with the whole Snail Collection from Lelo Design.  The images are very cute, and very approachable in terms of coloring.  This stamp company is based out of Germany, and the owner Nancy, ships internationally. 

I colored up this image using my Caran D’Ache watercolor pencils.  They have a fantastic color selection, are rich and saturated, and disperse beautifully with water.  The great thing with watercolor pencils, is that you can use them dry or wet with some really neat effects.  I used quite a variety of colors for my little snail, but tried to keep him as subdued as possible.  I wanted subtle color shifts, rather then glaring ones. 

Cool Tip:  Want to get that cool pebbly ground look with your watercolor pencils?  Try dipping the tip of you watercolor pencil into water, then dotting it into a wet wash.  The colors will disperse on the edges, but will keep an intense core of rich color.  This is a fantastic way to add color variety and interest to your grounds.

Supplies:

  • Stamps:  Snail Mail (Lelo Design), Postmarks (Papertrey)
  • Ink:  Tumbled Glass, Vintage Photo Distress ink (Ranger inc), Black ink (Stewart Superior Hybrid)
  • Coloring Medium:  Caran D’Ache Supracolor watercolor pencils
  • Dies: Labels Eighteen (Spellbinder)
  • Paper:  Basic Black, Poppy Parade CS (Stampin’Up!), It’s the Little Things collection (Fancy Pants)
  • Other:  Gold leaf pen (Krylon), White Sharpie Poster Paint marker, Sakura Stardust pen, Black Bakers Twine, White Stampin’Up Button, Dimensionals, sponges, brushes, Stardust Stickles (Ranger inc)

Fishy Friends: Featuring the new 3-D Sizzix pop-up die

Once again I am featuring one of the new June 2011 Sizzix die release!  I love these dies, they are awsome!  So fun and so versatile!  How can you not love them.  I can have a simple card on the outside, and open it up to a fancy 3-D card on the inside.  These dies are truly some of the funnest to use.  So today’s feature Sizzix die is the Zig-Zag 3-D Card die.  This die creates a tabbed insert, which allows you to add on any decoration for being popped-up.  It is a simple matter of cutting, then sticking it to the inside the card size you desire.  Card size, is of cours determined by the height of the decorations which you are adding.

For my card today, I wanted to create a simple fish aquarium scene.  The outside uses a Whipper Snapper Cling set which was designed by Anna White AKA Sweet Miss Daisy.  The front card design also uses the design from one of her cards which can be found in her Whipper Snapper Gallery on the left hand side of her blog.  I stamped the image on to watercolor paper, and colored it with re-inkers.  These were stuck to the front with dimensionals.  The inside uses a variety of Spellbinder, Quickutz, and Cottage Cutz dies.  The card was reasonable fast (compared to some of my other cards) and simple to make. 

Hope you enjoy,

Supplies:

  • Stamps:  Swimmin By (Whipper Snapper)
  • Ink:  Broken China, Rusty Hinge, Pine Needle, Chipped Saphire, Tea Dye, Shabby Shutter Distress ink (Ranger ink)
  • Paper:  Cool Carribean, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, River Rock, Tempting Turquoise, Pumkin Pie CS (Stampin’Up!), DP (My Minds Eye), Spring Moss (Papertrey)
  • Dies/Punches:  Sizzix Bigz die- Card, Zig-Zag 3-D Pop-up (Sizzix), Small Labels Nestabilities, Nested Fish Shapeabilities (Spellbinder), Seaweed (Cottage Cutz), Bubbles, rocks, Calvin Alphabet (Quickutz retired, available through Ebay), Scallop lacy punch (Martha Stewart)
  • Other:  Sponge Daubers, Sponges, 2-way glue pen, Tombow multipurpose adhesive, 2-way adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Waterfall Stickles

Movie Night

I wanted to create a fun movie package for my daughters little get-together with a friend.  They want a little movie night, and I wanted to make it fun.  Each girl will be  armed with a bucket full of Caramel Corn, a soda with a bow, and a little packet of candy chocolate.  Add on to that 2 fun girly movies, little tickets for their entrance, and lots of giggling, and you have the perfect recipe for fun!  For all you Silhouette owners out there, this popcorn bucket is a free download this week.  It is super easy and fun to make.  The tickets are a Papertrey stamp and die set called “Just the Ticket”. 

So as you know I am a huge fan of die cut machines, and one of the things which I love about my Silhouette, is that fact that they offer a free download each week, You can use existing fonts from your computer, and it is so easy to import graphics into your Silhouette Design Studio.  The machine is very small (accepts 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper), but that makes it really convinient for pulling out for small projects.  Also it is very affordable.  I love the fact that you can buy cuts by the design from the online store, and you can download them right away for use.  The machine can handle very intricate cuts, and there are so many fun products to use with it, like vinyl, fuzzy vinyl, heat transfer vinyl for fabrics, tattoo paper, magnet paper, print and iron on transfers, sketching pens…  See what I am getting at?  It is the perfect machine for every sort of use.  Check out their Website HERE. I know that for Canada, there are still a bunch available at a discount rate from the Home Shopping Network, or I know that they can be ordered through your local Scrapbook store.

Ok, so now that I have told you all the reasons that I love my Silhouette, check out THIS LINK for the great snacks you can make to place inside.

Happy Stamping,

Supplies:

  • Paper:  White CS (Papertrey), Poppy Parade, Basic Black (Stampin’Up!)
  • Stamps:  Just the Ticket (Papertrey)
  • Ink:  Tea Dye, Aged Mahogony, Vintage Photo Distress ink (Ranger ink), Basic Black (Stampin’UP!)
  • Machine and Cuts:  Silhouette,pop_pop_pop_C00426_18816, popcorn_box_C02934_1 , (Silhouette Online Cuts store), Ticket Dye (Papertrey), Big Shot
  • Other: Sponges, Black Glitter, Silver Gel pen, Xyron sticker Maker,