Practical Scrappers Winter Activity and Christmas Traditions layouts

The Practical Scrappers challenge this week was to design a layout around various winter activities or Christmas Traditions. I ended up completing two double page layouts this week that fit in with the challenge. Both layouts were done digitally using my new CM goodies. I hope you enjoy them and perhaps they can give you some inspiration for your pages.

The first layout is of my girls playing outside in the first major snowfall of the season. They had so much fun running around and chasing the dog. The first snow always brings excitement with it. For this layout I actually used a live template that Cathie Owens created using the new Winter Solstice Kit. I made a few minor changes and created a double page spread. I love the colours and textures of this kit and in my opinion it is a must have.




The second layout is about spending time with family during the holidays. My parents live 11 hours from us so we make the trek every year to be with them during the holidays. Last year we spent some time tobogganing and the kids had so much fun that I think it will be a new family tradition. Especially now that the kids are older and can spend more time outside even if it is cold.

For this layout I used the my new Primary Power Palette Christmas Additions along with the brand new Simple Start CD. This was one of Laurie Callisons fabulous templates. I love how it turned out and I really love how easy and fast it was to create. I think it took me about 20 minutes to complete this layout and most of that time was spent choosing which pictures to include.





Happy Holidays everyone and Happy Scrapping,
Cat

Winter Solstice Layout

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas and my daughter's birthday. I think I have everything pretty much under control now. I also received my CM content CD's last week and have finally had a chance to play. Here is a double page layout I created using the Winter Solstice predesigned pages. I love this collection. The cool colours and wonderful textures make it perfect for outdoor and Christmas pictures. I left this layout pretty much in it's original state. The only thing I changed was adding some 3D filters to the ornaments and titles. I also added a white photo mat to the pictures. Other than that the pages remained the same. It took me about 15 minutes to do this double page spread.





Enjoy,
Cat

Yet another reason why Creative Memories Rocks!

Hi Everyone,

I just need to do a quick post to share with you how wonderful Creative Memories is. You can probably tell I love CM just from the number of CM posts on my blog. Keep in mind I'm not a consultant just a very satisfied customer.

Well they have given me one more reason to recommend them to everyone I know. I ordered 3 content CD's for SBC+ 3.0 in the early afternoon on Monday of this week. I got my confirmation email right away and then I received a second email saying that my package had been shipped only 1 hour later! I was shocked at the quick service! I thought perhaps this meant they were just processing my order. No, they actually shipped it! I discovered my package in my mailbox when I got home from running errands today! Can you believe the service?! From the time I ordered until it reached my doorstep it took only 4 days!

I have always loved CM's fast shipping but this was unbelievable. Way to Go CM!

Now I can't wait to show you some layouts with the new content as well as some layouts off of the new Simple Start CD! Thanks for visiting ladies and happy scrapping! I'm off to play with my new goodies.

Cat

Gorgeous Winter CM Live Template

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. It has been a very crazy week. My youngest daughter is turning 3 on Friday and we are having her birthday party on Saturday so we have been busy trying to prepare for that. I am also in the middle of making 110 Christmas ornaments for my daughter's kindergarten classroom. I am just starting them and the kids are finishing them at school for their parents. Even a basic ornament ends up taking a lot of time though.

Today I thought I would share a gorgeous Winter Template that I downloaded from a wonderful website. I discovered Cathie Owen's blog a couple of weeks ago and it is loaded with tons of great information if you want to learn more about SBC 3.0.

I'm going to focus on templates today. It is amazing how versatile templates can be and how easy it is to make them your own.

Here is what the template looks like when I download it and before I add any of my pictures.




Here is what Cathie Owens page looked like when she used the template. Gorgeous isn't it?!



Here is my version of this template. I knew when I saw this template I wanted to use this rainbow picture I took last year but it wasn't winter themed. I just changed the template to suit my needs and I am really pleased with how it turned out. This template is so versatile and I love the look of stacked photos.



This page took me about 10 minutes to complete and the only reason it took that long is because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in terms of embellishments.

I have linked Cathie's blog to this post so if you are interested in her template please visit her site and have a look around. I would also love to see what you create with her template so please share with the rest of us and if it is okay I would love to post your finished projects here so you can see truly how versatile and fun templates can be.

Enjoy, and have fun crafting everyone,
Cat

Digital Christmas ornament layout

Hi Everyone,

Here is a layout I finished earlier this week. I decided I wanted to attempt something different. I find I create quite a few Christmas layouts and they all start to look the same after awhile. For this layout I wanted to turn my pictures into Christmas ornaments. I really like how they turned out.




Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up chocolate chip for the background with a faux texture added, Stampin Up digital DSP from the Jingle Bell collection (used the scalloped cutting tool in the CM software), Real Red paper to mat the ornaments
Accessories- Tag from Jingle Bell digital kit, Stampin Up real red digital grosgrain ribbon and bows, Pink stitched square freebie (I changed the colour to white)

Christmas Card #4

Hi Everyone,

We have had a busy morning in our house and the weather has decided not to cooperate so things are really crazy around here. Here is another one of my Christmas cards that I am sending out this year.



This card was extremely easy and quick to make but has lots of sparkle and shine. I really love this simple clean look. I used night of navy and whisper white cardstock and included lots of layers. For the snowflake blocks I embossed them with iridescent ice embossing powder to really add sparkle.


Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up cardstock in Whisper white and night of navy
Ink- Close to My Heart Denim
Stamps- Stampin Up Serene Snowflakes, Close To My Heart Holiday Warmth
Accessories- Snowflake Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Stampin Up Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Enjoy,
Cat

Christmas card #3

Here is another Christmas card I thought I would share with you all. This card was made using the snow swirled stamp set from Stampin Up. It is super easy and I love the little bit of sparkle from the Rhinestone Brad in the centre. I found this idea on Splitcoast stampers and had to case it. I'm sorry I can't remember who the original creator was but if you head over to splitcoast you will be able to find it. I did very little to change this card from the original.



Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up old olive, night of navy, bashful blue, and whisper white cardstock.
Ink- Stampin Up bashful blue and old olive classic ink, Close to My Heart Denim ink
Stamps- Stampin Up snow swirled
Accessories- Stampin Up clear rhinestone brads, Ribbon from my stash (purchased at Micheal's last year)

I also wanted to share one of the pictures I will be putting in my Christmas cards this year. We didn't get a family photo done but I did want to include pictures of my girls. My two oldest are in school so they had their school portraits which I am going to include. My youngest didn't have any professional pictures taken and now it is too late to get them done and back in time to send out with my cards. I decided to dress her up in her Christmas dress and snap a few photos myself. Once I had a picture I was happy with I imported it into SBC 3.0 and created a 4x6 layout which I will cut in half to make two 3x4 inch pictures for my cards. Now I will have a picture of each of my girls in my Christmas cards this year.



As always, I would love to hear what you think of any of my projects. Comments are welcomed and cherished. Thanks for taking a look.

Enjoy,
Cat

A wonderful digital layout by Lynett Rock!

Hi Everyone,

I recently received an email from a very talented scrapbooker, Lynett Rock. She wanted a copy of my stitched template that I had posted on my blog earlier and she sent me a finished copy of her scrapbook page. It is gorgeous and I just couldn't wait to share it with you. She managed to complete this in between classes! That is how quick these templates can be. If anyone else would like a copy of the stitched template just leave a comment and I would be happy to email it to you. Just a note, these templates will only work in the Storybook Software as they are .page files.

Thank you so much Lynett for sharing your wonderful creation!



Lynett used the Creative Memories Best Buds digital kit to finish this layout. The colours and papers in this kit are gorgeous. If you don't already have this kit I highly recommend purchasing it. The kit isn't very expensive and it is one of my favourites.

I have just put this file up on 4shared.com if you are interested in getting a copy of the live template please visit this link All I ask is that you leave a comment.

Another Polar Expressions Card

Hi Everyone,

Here is another Christmas card I made with the Old Olive, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip colour combo as well as the Polar Bear stamped image from Imagnisce Polar Expressions collection. I also added the felt flurries from Stampin Up. I love these snowflakes. They are so detailed and pretty.



Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up Cardstock in Ruby Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White
Ink- Jumbo Java Chalk Ink, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip
Stamps- Polar Expression by Imaginisce, Hero Arts handmade for you clear acrylic stamp set
Accessories- Stampin Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons in Ruby Red, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Stampin Up Scalloped Border Punch, Stampin Up Felt Flurries, Gold Brads, American Crafts Ribbon snowflakes in circles.

Enjoy,
Cat

A new look for me.

Hi Everyone,

I was doing a little blog hopping the other day and happened upon a wonderful blog. One of Janet's blog entries was offering a free photo mask. This mask was gorgeous and I knew I wanted to try out the mask on one of my own layouts. Well here is my finished product. I am super happy with how it turned out even if it is a completely new look/style of scrapbooking for me. My digital layouts still tend to be very traditional in look and feel. This layout has a definite digital look and I think it packs a punch. I would love your feedback. The best part of this layout is all of the elements in it are freebies from various sites!





Recipe:
Background paper- "brown cardboard" from the "Simple Pleasures Mini Kit" at Free Digital Scrapbooking.com
Overlay- "Funky Overlay" Digital Freebie from Creative Memories
Digital Elements- stacked vintage photo frame from Designer Digitals freebies and Janet's Thankful photo mask.

I hope you have as much fun with this mask as I did.

Happy Crafting everyone,
Cat

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Hi Everyone,

Well, I know I said that it really wasn't looking like Christmas. Well I was wrong. Yesterday we got some snow and the temperatures dropped to seasonal for this time of year so it really is looking like Christmas out there now.

Today I wanted to share my Practical Scrappers submission with you. Again I used my favourite colour combination of the moment. Last year I purchased some ski slope designer series paper from Stampin Up and I just love it. I thought I would try and use up the rest of my stash for this year's Christmas cards.

I decided to do a shaker card. These cards are super simple to make and create a wow factor. Kids especially love them. My girls are constantly getting a hold of this one and giving it a shake. If they keep it up it won't be in good enough shape to send out.

To make this card I cut a 2.5 x 2.5" square of Chocolate chip cardstock and ran it through my cuttlebug using the curly label movers and shapers die. Then I cut a piece of 2x2" whisper white cardstock and stamped my sentiment on it. To create the window I glued a 2x2" piece of acetate on to the back of the brown piece of cardstock. Then I put Close to My Heart foam tape around the opening on the brown piece. You can use the edges of your stampin dimensionals too but foam tape is much easier. It is important not to leave any holes in your border of the glitter will fall out. Once you have your border of tape around the opening fill your little "dish" with glitter. Now you need to put a "lid" on your "dish". Take your white piece of cardstock with your sentiment on it and adhere it to your brown piece of cardstock using the foam tape border. Make sure your sentiment is lined up with your opening. Now you have created a shaker pocket to add to your card. It really is easy. Especially once you have done it a few times.

If you have any questions please leave a comment or email me and I would be happy to help you out.

Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up cardstock in Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, and Baja Breeze, Ski Slope Designer Series Paper, Acetate
Ink- Stampin Up Real Red
Stamps- Christmas Punch Set by Stampin Up
Accessories- American Crafts snowflakes in circles ribbon, Stampin Up curly label movers and shapers punch, Stampin Up scalloped edge punch, Close to My Heart foam tape, gold glitter

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Hi Everyone,

Well, it is not really looking like Christmas here but it sure is beginning to feel like Christmas. We spent the weekend decorating our house and putting up the Christmas Tree. We still need to put up the lights outside but then we'll be ready. My girls are getting very excited and are now starting to ask how many days until Christmas.

I thought I would kick off this festive season with some Christmas cards. All this week at Practical Scrappers they are focusing on Christmas cards so check daily for more cards by the wonderful designers over there.

I am going to share a card or layout or both each day this week to help get you in the holiday mood. So grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa or Eggnog Chai (my personal favourite) and enjoy all the things this season has to offer.



Here is a card to get the week started. I was at my local scrapbooking store a few weeks back and fell in love with this little guy. This stamp is from Imaginisce from their Polar Expressions collection. The stamp is one of their "Snag em" stamps so it was under $2.00. I couldn't resist. The paper in this collection is super cute as well. However, I decided to save some money and use up Christmas paper in my stash first.

This entire card was made using scraps from my stash but I am very pleased with how it turned out. I personally love this colour combination and have done many Christmas cards with it. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps it will give you some ideas for your cards.

Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up Cardstock in Real Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White, Stampin Up Designer Series Paper in Ski Slope (Retired)
Ink- Stampin Up Chocolate Chip
Stamps- Polar Bear by Imaginisce, Penny Black Christmas Critters
Accessories- Fiskars Threading Water punch, Creative Memories Corner Rounder, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, American Crafts Snowflakes in Circles Ribbon, Stampin Up Water Colour Wonder Crayons in Real Red, Old Olive, and Creamy Caramel

Happy Holidays everyone,
Cat

Using Custom Cutting Tool on SBC 3.0

Hi Everyone,

As always I was cruising around the Creative Memories Website for project ideas. I love the projects they give with step by step instructions because it gives me a chance to try out new features on my Storybook Creator 3.0. I knew that SBC 3.0 had a custom cutting feature but I had never used it on a layout before and I certainly didn't know how to blend my image. I decided to try my hand at the layout posted here.

For the most part, the instructions given on the CM website were excellent. I did have difficulty figuring out how to get my cut out picture to blend with my background. I thought I would give you my step by step instructions here so between the two you can hopefully figure it out.

1) I added the entire picture of my daughter to the layout.
2) Then I changed it to Sepia by selecting the "color" ribbon and then selecting sepia.
3) To cut out the image of my daughter I selected the "cut & fill" ribbon, "Custom", "cut curved path". All you have to do now is click around the image that you want to cut out and you can adjust the points after to get it as close to your desired image as possible.
4) Once your image is cut out you need to soften around the edges to get it to blend in with the background paper. To do this make sure your image is highlighted then select the "format" ribbon, "filters", and then "soften edge" (middle filter, top row). You can then adjust the amount of softness you want by using the slider at the top of the window.

To finish off my page I added the embellishments as described in the tutorial.

I also tried this technique for my daughter's birthday party invitations and was pleased with the results.



I hope this helps if you have any questions please don't hesitate to leave a comment or email and I will try to help out as much as I can.

Happy Crafting,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Stitching Challenge

Hi Everyone,

This week at Practical Scrappers it is all about stitching. Any kind of stitching you want; digital stitching, hand stitching, sewing machine, faux stitching, rub ons, pen stitching. Be creative and share your wonderful creations with the rest of us either here or over at practical scrappers.

As for my cards this week. I decided to try my hand at hand stitching. I have never used any kind of real stitching on my cards or scrapbook layouts so I thought I would give it a try. These cards definitely were time consuming but I absolutely love the effect and will continue to use this technique to add texture and visual interest.




I have a number of digital layouts that include stitching as well. I would love for you to take a peek and let me know what you think.

Stitched Template

Cottage Garden Stitched Template

Stitched Scalloped Ribbon The ribbon in this layout is actually a digital freebie from the CM digital Freebie site.

Recipe:
Paper: Patterned paper from my stash, cardstock is bazzill bling
Ink:CTMH Denim
Stamp: Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes
Accessories: Rhinestone Brads by Stampin Up, Christmas Noel Cricut Cartridge, Lyrical Letters Cricut Cartridge, Embroidery Floss, Stampin Up Mat Pack and Paper Piercer

Quick and Simple Zoo Layout

Hi Everyone,

Here is my latest layout. It is just one of way too many zoo layouts. My kids and I go to the zoo quite often so there is no shortage of zoo photos. This layout I decided to focus on all the zoo babies that blessed our zoo. This layout was very quick and simple. I wanted to keep embellishments and extras to a minimum since the background paper is glittery and busy. I used the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge for the baby animal cutouts.


Recipe:
Paper: DCWV for background and Tag, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Creative Memories Palm
Ink:Versamagic Chalk ink in Jumbo Java
Accessories: Creative Memories Fine Tip pens, Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets from Stampin Up, Bazzill Ribbon

Enjoy,
Cat

Another Simple Layout

Hi Everyone,

Here is another layout I created recently. This layout is super simple but I still think it packs a punch. After all the photos should be the centre of attention right? For this layout I went for the distressed look. I also added some soft suede polka dot ribbon from Stampin Up. I really hate this colour for most things but I love this ribbon with this layout. Go figure. I may find some uses for this ribbon yet.

Recipe:
Paper- patterned paper from my stash (sorry I don't know the name), Cardstock from my stash (probably cardstock form Creative Memories)
Ink- Jumbo Java versamagic chalk ink
Accessories- Graphically speaking cricut cartridge for the title, Stampin Up soft suede polka dot ribbon.

Practical Scrappers Acrylic Paint Challenge

Hi Everyone,

Practical Scrappers has done it again. They have forced me to go way outside of my comfort zone. This weeks challenge was to use acrylic paint on your card or layout. Well I have never used acrylic paint for anything. Funny thing is, I still managed to find some in my stash of scrapbooking supplies. Funny how scrapbooking supplies multiply without you even realizing it.

Anyway, this card is very simple but I think it turned out okay. I'm not sure how often I would use acrylic paint on future projects but I am glad I gave it a try. If you want to see some amazing projects pop on by to Practical Scrappers and see what the lovely and creative ladies have created.

For this card I used two different colours of acrylic paint. One was a sort of lilac colour while the other was a sky blue. I dry brushed acrylic paint using a makeup sponge onto brown cardstock. Then I took two heidi swapp butterfly ghost shapes and stamped a flourish on each of them using black stazon ink. Once the ink was dry (only takes about 30 seconds) I painted each butterfly with the acrylic paint. The stazon ink and acrylic paint were on the back side of the ghost shape so you still had a glossy finish when you turned the shape over. To adhere the butterflies I used a stapler so I could bend the wings and have a 3D effect. The acrylic paint remained flexible and didn't crack or flake off when I bent the shape. To finish the card I cut out the word treasure from Graphically speaking.




Recipe:
paper- chocolate chip cardstock from Stampin Up, whisper white cardstock for sentiment
Ink- black stazon
stamps- big swirls set by Autumn Leaves
Accessories- purple and blue acrylic paint, stapler, heidi swapp xl butterflies, graphically speaking cricut cartridge

Enjoy and happy crafting,
Cat

Discover Layout

Hi Everyone,

Here is a layout I completed a few weeks ago and haven't had a chance to share with you until now. I am very pleased with how this layout turned out. My inspiration came from page 54 of the Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter 2009 Catalogue.

Recipe:
Paper- Cardstock from my stash (I think the green is kiwi kiss and the red is riding hood red but I am not sure.Not sure what the name of the blue cardstock is),patterned paper from My Mind's Eye.
Ink- Jumbo Java Versamagic Chalk Ink
Accessories- Diecuts from My Mind's Eye, kiwi kiss corduroy buttons from Stampin Up, Lyrical Letters cricut cartridge for the title, Paper piercer and mat pack from Stampin Up.

A moment to remember.

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry I don't have anything scrapbook related today. I just downloaded my pictures from Remembrance Day and wanted to share this photo of my daughter. This was a candid shot I took while we were visiting the cenotaph at The Military Museums on Wednesday. This was the first Remembrance Day Ceremony we took part in as a family. I think this is a tradition I would like to continue. I want the girls to learn that Remembrance Day is not just another day off but a day for reflection and to be thankful for the freedom we enjoy today.

Vegas Digital Layout

Hi Everyone,

Here is a layout I created for my recent trip to Las Vegas. I saw the idea on the CM project centre website and had to recreate it for my Las Vegas pictures. For full instructions on how to create this layout yourself click here.



Enjoy and Happy Crafting,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Colour Core Cardstock Challenge

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry I am posting this so late. I spent a wonderful funfilled weekend in Las Vegas with my family and I am still trying to recover. Here is my submission for the colour/white core cardstock challenge over at Practical Scrappers. In order to create lots of texture I used my cuttlebug embossing template and sanded the paper to really make the texture pop. I also sanded my base to give my card a distressed look.



Recipe:
Paper: Coordinations cardstock (teal and red), Whisper White Cardstock
Ink: Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Stampin Up Real Red, Versa Magic Chalk ink in Turquoise Gem
Stamps: Dream a Little (Stampin Up), Studio G dollar stamp for the sentiment
Accessories: Cuttlebug bubbles embossing folder, Stampin Up Scalloped edge punch, sandpaper, Stampin Up dimensionals, Bazzill Ribbon



I thought I would include a picture from my Vegas Adventure. We spent most of our time shopping and seeing the sights on the strip. On our last day we visited Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam was unbelievable! I knew that it was huge but nothing really prepares you for truly how immense it is. We got there first thing in the morning and it was a perfect time to visit the dam. We took the full tour and only had 10 people in our group and there were no lines. It was perfect. By the time we had finished exploring the dam the lines ups were getting pretty long and the line up just to get into the parkade was crazy. If you decide to visit Hoover Dam get there first thing when it opens.
Enjoy,
Cat

Another Template provided by Creative Memories

Here is another layout I created for the calendar. This layout was done by Creative Memories. Again, all I did was drag and drop my favourite pictures in and add a bit of journalling. Another really simple and eyecatching layout.



Enjoy,
Cat

I just sent off my Calendar to CM

Hi Everyone,

I just sent my digital calendar for my Mom off to the CM photocentre for printing. I will let you know how I like it once I get it back and I'll take a few photos too so you can see the finished project.

In the mean time I thought I would share another calendar page with all of you.



This page was one of the easiest ones to create but has a lot of wow factor. Creative Memories does a fantastic job at making scrapbooking simple. This was a free template that I downloaded from their website and all I did was drag and drop my photos into the template. This literally took me about 2 minutes to make. All the elements can be found seperately in various CM collections but CM has put a bunch of them together in one fantastic layout!

If you would like to explore more of the digital elements that CM has to offer I highly recommend visiting their Digital Project Centre and looking at all their freebies. They post digital freebies for you to download everyday. The best part is you don't have to have the CM stoybook software to use them. These freebies are compatible with any type of digital software since they are all jpeg and png files.

Happy Crafting,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Tri Challenge

This week at Practical Scrappers they are having their first ever tri challenge. Here is your chance to really stretch your creativity and win some great prizes along the way. Practical Scrappers has combined their talents with Frosted Designs and Stuck on U Sketches.
Here is how you can participate in the tri-challenge.
-Complete one project that includes all three blog's challenges
-Complete one project for each blog's challenge.

Here is my version of the Tri-Challenge. I decided to do a Christmas card. I was super excited when I read about the various challenges because I now had an excuse to use my brand new Hero Arts Owl Christmas stamp set as well as use up some of my ribbon stash. This was my first attempt at watercolouring with my Water Colour Wonder Crayons from Stampin Up. The colouring turned out okay but I think I need some practice. I also found out that I should have used a more waterproof ink pad such as stazon as some parts of my image started to run. I do however like the soft look of the watercolour crayons as well as the ability to layer colour on to really personalize your project.



Recipe:Paper: Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Designer Series paper from the Stampin Up Ski Slope collection (retired), Stampin Up Baja Breeze Cardstock.
Ink: Stampin Up Old Olive, Stampin Up Real Red, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Versa Magic Sea Breeze Chalk Ink, Jumbo Java Chalk Ink
Stamp Sets: Hero Arts Owl Christmas clear stamps
Accessories: Bazzill Basics Ribbon in Brown Polka Dot and Whirlpool Middle Weave, Red stitched ribbon from Micheal's, Stampin Up Top Note Die, Crystal and Christmas Red stickles, Stampin Up Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, self adhesive gems from my stash (normally used to stick on cell phones etc)

I just made the Design Team over at Practical Scrappers!

Hi Everyone,

I just found out that I have been chosen as one of the new design team members over at Practical Scrappers! Every week there is a new and exciting challenge to help us all use up our ever growing stash. I hope that you can join us and check out some of the wonderful projects featured there.

Happy Crafting,
Cat

Another layout from my 2010 calendar

Here is another layout that I created using Creative Memories Storybook Creator 3.0 (SBC 3.0). For this layout I used Stampin Up digital elements. This was the first time I had used SU elements in SBC 3.0 and they were just as easy to use as the Creative Memories elements. I am a big fan of both Stampin Up and Creative Memories so I am really happy that the SU digital elements are so compatible with the CM software.

Enjoy,
Cat

SBC 3.0 12 x18 Calendar

Hi Everyone,

I have been working on creating a calendar for my mom for Christmas. Creative Memories has just added a new project to their wonderful digital line up. Starting November 1 you will be able to order a 12x18 calendar from the CM photocenter. This calendar is great because once the month is over you can tear off the calendar portion and put the remaining 12x12 layout into an album or display it in an everyday display.

I am looking forward to seeing the final finished product. I have only ordered a few storybooks from CM photocenter but have not been disappointed.

I thought I would share some of the layouts I created for the calendar over the next few days. Some of these pages were created with CM digital products, some with Stampin Up Digital Studio products, and some layouts were CM predesigned templates that I dragged and dropped my pictures into.

This first layout is my favourite! As you know I love bright, bold colours and this digital package really is fantastic at delivering bold bright elements. This was created with the Creative Memories Disney Vacation Power pallette. It is a collection of pictures of my family celebrating Canada and Heritage Park. The inspriation for the layout came from the latest Close To My Heart Catalogue.



I hope you enjoy them and please leave comments or questions as I always love to hear what you have to say.

Happy Crafting,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Punches Challenge

Hi Everyone,

The challenge this week is to use our punches. We have the option of using border, fancy, basic shapes, whatever we have in our stash.

I received a card from a stampin up consultant that had an owl on it made with various SU punches. I decided for this challenge I wanted to try making my own owl. I didn't have all of the punches so my owl is a mixture of cricut and various punches both SU and Creative Memories.

In total I used 3 different sized circle punches (1.25", 1", and 0.75"), the scalloped circle punch, and the photo corner punch for a total of 5 different punches. The rest of the owl was created with my cricut and cuttlebug.

Recipe:
Paper: Tangerine Tango Cardstock from Stampin Up, Bazzill brown Cardstock, Light brown cardstock from Creative Memories, Stampin Up Black, Stampin Up Whisper White, My Mind's Eye Star Bright Paisley Pop.
Ink: Jumbo Java Versamagic Chalk Ink, Archival Black Ink
Stamps: CTMH Playful Lowercase and Upper Case Alphabet
Accessories: Stampin Up Top Note Die, George Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge, Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge

Thanks for visiting and have fun creating,
Cat

Halloween Birthday Card

Hi Everyone,

Here is a card I made for one of my daughter's friends. It is his birthday tomorrow and my daughter wanted to use the skull embellishement that I had made awhile ago and just had never used.

I turned the skull cut from the Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge into a "shaker embellishment" I was pretty pleased with how it turned out but hadn't found a use for it until now.

"Shaker cards" are really easy to make and they pack a lot of WOW factor.

To make this card;
- Cutout the skull from the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge
- Attach a piece of acetate (Old protective covers for the cricut mats work great!) to the back of your skull so it covers the eye and nose openings
-Use the Outside Edge pieces of your Stampin Up dimensionals (Foam tape would work too) to create a "box" of dimensionals around the eyes and nose of the skull. Make sure you don't leave any spaces otherwise your glitter will fall out.
-Fill your "box" about 1/2 to 2/3 full of chunky glitter
-Adhere pop dots to the extremities of your cricut cut
-Take the paper backing off of your pop dots
-Adhere a piece of black cardstock to your cricut cut
-Turn your skull cut over. Freehand cut a shadow around your skull.
-Now your piece is ready to add to your card front or scrapbook layout.






Recipe:
Paper- Basic Grey patterend cardstock (not sure of the name), Stampin Up black cardstock for the shadow, white textured cardstock from DCWV for skull, cream card base from Micheal's, Orange cardstock from Creative Memories for the insert.

Ink- Jumbo Java versa magic chalk ink

Accessories- Making Memories Tiny Alphas in black and white, Paper Doll Dress Up cricut cartridge for the skull, Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge (Jack Sprat), Chunky gold glitter, Gold eyelets, Stampin Up dimensionals, acetate

More Practical Scrappers Office Supply challenge

Hi Everyone,

It is late here and I really should be going to bed but I couldn't wait to share this card with you. Earlier this evening I was hit with an idea, and I just had to take the time to create or I knew I would be sneaking down in the middle of the night to make this card. I know that many of you have had the same thing happen to you and can relate.

Well here is the result. I know it is a very simple card but I must say I think it is my favourite one that I have made so far. I love everything about it. The colours, textures, and accessories just came together perfectly. I am planning on saving this card for one of my daughter's teachers. I may just have to make a few more so I can keep one for my card stash. I hope you like it as much as I do.





Recipe:
Paper: Card base is Stampin Up pacific point, Green for the stem is Palm cardstock from Creative Memories, Apple is Bo Bunny Wild Berry Dot double sided cardstock, Brown is textured bazzill, grid paper is DCWV Grade school stack, Black for the font is Stampin Up.
Ink: Jumbo Java chalk ink
Accessories: Green paper clip, Red stitched ribbon from Micheal's, Graphically Speaking Cricut Cartridge for the note paper, Lyrical Letters Cricut Cartridge for the font, Doodlecharms Cricut Cartridge for apple, pop dots, crystal effects

Thanks for visiting. As always, comments are very much appreciated,
Cat