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)