Creative Cat's Designs

Personalizing Patterned Paper

2011-02-15T11:44:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would show you a neat way to personalize your patterned paper. This is only one of many but it is very simple and very fast.

While I was creating my layout I was finding that I liked the look of the Black and White paper but I wanted to add more colour to my design. To fix this situation I changed the white on my paper to a sky blue that I pulled right from one of my photos. This adds a splash of colour and really draws the eye to the central photo on my layout.

For this technique I used the Creative Memories Black and White Power Palette. I find it works best because there are two distinct colours (black and white). The first step is to choose a paper you like (in my layout is is Paper number 4). Then go to your Format Ribbon and click on Filters. You will get a pop up that has a number of effects you can apply to your paper. Click on Threshold. I left my slider bar setting at 128 and just focused on my colours. There are two boxes with colour in them, a low colour and a high colour. You can now select any colour you want and make it your low colour or your high colour. Just click on the drop down menu beside each box and either select a predetermined colour or sample a colour from your layout. For my example I sampled a blue from one of my photos and made it the high colour. I left the low colour (black) alone. Now I have a blue and black paper instead of white and black with just a few simple clicks!

Recipe:
Paper- Creative Memories Black and White Power Palette
Fonts- SBC Distressed Typewriter and SBC Stone Inscription
Template- www.Pixels2Pages.net

Long time, no posts. . .So Sorry!

2011-02-10T12:49:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

My sincerest apologies for not posting in months. I don't have any excuses for abandoning my blog.

Lately I have been busy with digital scrapbooking. I have started to get caught up and am now working on pictures from April 2010! I have almost completed my London trip from last year and thought I would share some of my layouts. I have tried out a few new techniques thanks to Pixels2pages.net. If you haven't been to this site I highly recommend it. Inspiration is everywhere!

This first page I am quite proud of. The blueprint came from the Pixels2Pages website (they are no longer allowed to share blueprints as of January 2011) and I just made it my own. I am really pleased how the large picture of Big Ben looks. I don't often cut out certain objects from pictures and play with the softness and opacity but this turned out really nice. I used my wand tool to cut around big ben, then I softened the edge using the filters tool, finally I changed it to Sepia and brought the opacity down so it blended nicely with the background.

This second page is one of my all time favourites. Everything was working in my favour the day this was created. I wanted to try out the Pixels2Pages challenge #33 called Single Photo Collage. I loved this photo I took in St James Park and really wanted to showcase it. This technique was perfect! For full instructions and pictures to go along with them please click on the link above.

So sweet Sundae Card

2010-06-05T14:09:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is a card I made using Just Because Cards. I love how you can mix and match the images to make the cards your own. I wanted to make my own matching envelope so I started with the envelope cut using the fit to page feature then I used the same size for all of my other cuts. This way everything matched.

I knew I wanted to use the sundae image but there isn't a coordinating card with this button so I flipped through the handbook and found a card base I liked (the gingerbread cookie card), chose a coordinating envelope and went from there.

Using the fit to page feature and a 12x12 piece of paper I cut my envelope. The measurements ended up being 6 3/4 inches. I cute my card base and layer at 6 3/4 inches as well.

I decided to try cutting the sundae at 6 3/4 inches too. I wasn't sure if this cut would coordinate with a card size or cut true to size as it didn't have a specific card associated with it. It turns out the sundae cuts true to size so my 6 3/4 inch sundae was huge.

I didn't want to waste paper so I worked around the large size by cutting off the very top stem and leaf layer of the sundae. I just left the cherry on top.

I ran my ice cream layer and card layer through the cuttlebug to add texture. I also added a piece of ribbon around the card layer.

To finish off the card I added stickles to my ice cream for some sparkle and some glossy accents to my cherry.

The sentiment is from a studio g dollar stamp set from Micheal's.

Enjoy,
Cat

Simple hello card from Create A Critter

2010-06-04T13:56:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another card I created with Create A Critter. This one was super simple. From start to finish it took about 10 minutes and all the paper came from my scraps. This card is bright and fun and could be used for any occasion. To finish it off I added some stickles and a button.

Enjoy,
Cat

Happy Bird-Day Card

2010-05-15T14:18:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is a cute little card I made for my girlfriend for her birthday. I wanted used Just Because cards for the card base, layers, and envelope. These were all cut at 4 1/4 inches. To shadow the base layer on the card I cut it twice. Once at 4 1/4 inches and once at 4 1/2.

The bird was cut using Create A Critter. I can't remember the size. Probably around 3 1/2 inches.

The flower is the SU five petal flower punch. I curled the petals around a pencil to add dimension.

To add a bit of interest I added glossy accents to the dotted paper on the layer as well the bird's beak.

To finish everything off the pieces were all inked using Jumbo Java chalk ink. The card base was lightly sanded all over.

All the paper comes from the Close To My Heart Twitterpated collection.

Happy Scrappin,
Cat

Create- A-Critter makes cute layouts too

2010-05-15T13:43:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another post for you all featuring Create A Critter again. This is definitely one of my favourite cartridges and will be for a long time to come. My three girls are in love with all the cute characters and they have so much fun putting together their own creations because the layering system is so easy.

I was browsing the cricut message board and came across this layout by MelissaB and just had to create my own version. I tend to do two page layouts whenever possible so I spread my critters over two pages. This type of a layout is very different for me. I normally have my pictures in hand and design my pages around them. I rarely create a page just for fun and hope that I will have pictures to go with the page.

To make it easier to incorporate pictures I didn't add any photo mats or openings. I thought it would be easier to find some pictures of my kids playing outside or camping and scatter them around the page and not have to worry about sizes and orientation.

My background paper is from a SU Sale-a-Bration paper pack from last year. I loved the pattern and thought it worked perfectly for sky. The rest of the paper is scraps from my stash.

I loved how the layout turned out and it gave me a perfect opportunity to take this great cartridge out for a test drive.

Crazy about Create a Critter!

2010-05-15T10:38:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I am so sorry I have been MIA lately. I have been uninspired in the crafting department lately. That is until I got my Create a Critter cricut cartridge in the mail! This cartridge is adorable and I have had so much fun creating shaped cards. The cuts are unbelievably easy to put together and I am able to create a unique shaped card in a matter of minutes.

Here are few that I have made recently. The little frog is by far my favourite. This little guy is so cute. To create these cards I weld the base image in Design Studio. Then I cut out a shadow to adhere to the back and front of the card. This way you get a nice even shape and hide the folded edge.

I finish it off by adding the various layers, some pen work, stickles, and buttons. Finished in no time and the cards really pack a punch.

Pages 2 Pixels - Picture Globe

2010-04-12T16:45:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I have been MIA as of late. I have been busy with family events as well as training for my second Marathon which I will be running May 30. We are just getting into the hardest part of my training and I haven't really been taking much time to scrapbook or create.

Well I was wandering the web today and found some great pages that were created using SBC 3.0. These very cool pages lead me to a fantastic website that is still in the Beta Testing stage but well worth a peek. The webiste is called Pixels 2 Pages. It is a site that was created by a number of CM consultants worldwide. They are overflowing with talent and have put together a great resource so we can learn all the neat tips and tricks of SBC 3.0.

One of the tutorials they have on their site is how to create a picture globe. You end up with an eye catching way to display your photos.

I decided to try creating one myself. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out! These pictures were taken on a cruise my hubby and I went on last year.

For more information, a video, and step by step instructions on how to create a picture globe visit Pages 2 Pixels. You won't be disappointed!

Vacation Memories

2010-03-19T10:11:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Well it has been a year since my hubby and I went on the vacation of a lifetime and I am just getting to scrapbooking the photos now. I wanted to scrapbook my photos in order so it has taken me awhile to get caught up. Then once I was caught up I was intimated about scrapbooking the pictures. This trip was amazing and I really want to do the pictures justice.

Anyway, here is a double page spread I did on our stop in Agadir Morocco. I used a template from the CM simple start CD. I believe it is from the Decorative Click and Fill series. All of the papers come form the Jewel Power Palette and Jewel Vacation Digital Kit. I love these colours and they work so well with the photos. I really didn't do anything special with this layout. I simply just use my papers to "Click and Fill". Super easy and super fast. If you haven't purchased this CD yet I highly recommend it.

Enjoy,
Cat

Giving the Black and White Power Palette Another Chance.

2010-03-17T23:39:00.003-06:00

Well, I decided to give the CM Black and White PP another chance. I was careful this time to pick photos with the Black and White PP in mind. I wanted something where the photos were colourful but not too busy. I chose a predesigned layout and made some minor changes.

Thanks so much to whoever made the suggestion to choose one accent colour to go with my Black and White layout. I think this makes a world of difference. I also took the time to get rid of any extra embellisments no matter how small because the paper is so busy all by itself. Finally I changed some of the papers so they had smaller patterns instead of large flourishes.

I hope you like this layout as much as I do. I am very happy with how it turned out. Looking at these pages really bring me back to our wonderful vacation.

Enjoy,
Cat

Creative Memories Black and White Power Pallette

2010-03-03T09:05:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is a layout I completed over the weekend. I recently purchased the Black and White Creative Memories Power Pallette and then I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I am having trouble using it since it is a little more "grungy" then I was expecting. If I had looked at it closer I probably wouldn't have purchased it. I usually like clean lines and smaller patterns. This package is filled with lots of textures and grungy patterns. It is very bold and busy.

That being said, I really need to give it a chance before I completely give up on it. To get started I went looking for inspiration on the CM digital project website. I decided to scraplift a layout that was on there. CM was gracious enough to include step by step instructions with this layout so copying was extremely easy.

Here is my finished project. I'm still not too sure I am in love with it. It is totally different from my usual style. Sometimes it is good to step out of your comfort zone right? I would love to hear your thoughts on this page. Is it too busy? Should I add something? Take something away? What do you think?

Enjoy,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Challenge- Inks and Chalks

2010-03-02T08:56:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This week's challenge over at practical scrappers is to work with any type of chalk or ink. I actually did two cards this week that fit the bill but only submitted one. So I thought I would share my one of my projects early then share my design team submission with you on Thursday.

This card is a completely different style than I am used to. I had an idea in my head but wasn't sure how it would translate onto paper. The card ended up turning out better than I thought.

For this card I used Tattered Angels Glimmer mist in Periwinkle and Bubblegum. To create the masked image I cut out a design at 4" using the Lyrical Letters cartridge. Then I adhered it the design to white cardstock using temporary adhesive. When the design was stuck down I sprayed Glimmer mist in Periwinkle and Bubblegum. I blotted any excess off with a tissue. Then I removed the mask and a lovely design was revealed!

To finish of the card I cut out some butterflies with my Stampin Up beautiful Wings Embosslit. The butterflies were sprayed with Glimmer Mist as well. Finally I stamped a simple sentiment and Voila! A Simple yet elegant card was revealed. I was impressed with how clear the masked image was. I was expecting the lines to be more ragged but they stayed pretty true to the stencil.

This proved to be a great way to use some of my Glimmer Mist I just had to have, yet I never use! I will definitely end up using it more with this style of card.

Enjoy,
Cat

All Things Stamping over at Practical Scrappers

2010-02-25T08:14:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This week over at Practical Scrappers we are working on anything having to do with stamps. Do you know any techniques that will allow you to use your stamps in a new and different way? By using a wide variety of stamping techniques you can achieve many different looks and therefore get more mileage out of your stamps, saving you money! It is always a good thing when I can use something from my scrapbooking supplies instead of picking something up at the store.

This week I chose to share two different techniques with you. The first technique is called the "Kissing Technique". This was the first time I had ever used this technique but I really like the look so it will become a staple in my stamping library. For this technique you need two stamps. One needs to be a solid image stamp, the other needs to be a stamp that will add texture or patterns. Take your solid image stamp and ink it up with a light coloured ink. Then take your texture stamp and ink that up with a darker ink. Now press or "kiss" your stamps together. The dark ink will transfer onto your solid image stamp giving you a two toned stamped image. Now all you need to do is press your solid image stamp to your paper! Voila! Two colours, one stamp!

An alternative to this technique is to leave your textured stamp clean and dry when you press it to your solid stamp. In this case your textured stamp will pull some of the ink off of your solid stamp leaving you with a very soft and subtle two toned effect.

The second technique I would like to share is called the "popping pastels" technique. With this technique you need a versamark pad and chalks. It works best on light coloured cardstock. You stamp your image using versamark on light cardstock then rub chalks over your image. The chalk sticks to the versamark but not to the cardstock. You end up with a soft muted stamped image.

An alternative to this technique is to use black cardstock and white pigment ink that takes longer to dry. Then you rub your chalks over the image. This creates the look of chalk on a chalkboard. It almost looks like your image is glowing. Very cool as well.

I encourage all of you to give these techniques a try and post your results here. I would love to see your beautiful creations.

Enjoy,
Cat

Removing Colour from pictures

2010-02-24T09:13:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Over at "The rest of the Storybook" Jan is teaching everyone how to remove colour from a portion of their pictures. For step by step instructions hop on over to her blog. This is such a fantastic technique and gives a really cool look. I decided to try my hand at this for a title bar I am creating for a traditional layout.

I wanted to create a title bar that was 6 inches wide and 12 inches long using one of my pictures. My idea was to turn the picture to black and white and just leave a portion of the tower coloured. Then I wanted to add my title along the entire length of the picture. I have never done anything like this before but am pretty pleased with the results. Now all I need to do is print the picture off and add it to my traditional 12x12 layout.

As soon as I get this title bar printed and added to my layout I will share my completed project with you. In the mean time here is a look at the title bar.

Enjoy,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Challenge- Flowers!

2010-02-18T10:56:00.003-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This week at Practical Scrappers we were supposed to design a project using flowers. I didn't have any prima flowers and really hadn't used my Life's A Beach Cartridge for much so I thought I would create a card using the card feature on Life's A Beach. I loved my shaker card from a couple of weeks ago and wanted to try another one.

Here it is! I hope you enjoy the card. It is simple, fun, and summery. Perfect for a summer bbq or birthday party.

Practical Scrappers Challenge- Brads!

2010-02-11T08:14:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The challenge for this week over at Practical Scrappers is to use brads on your project. Well, I definitely do not have a shortage of these little gems in my stash! I have no idea where they all came from but I really need to make more of an effort to use them. I use the round brads on a regular basis but find it difficult to use the shaped ones.

For this challenge I pulled out some heart brads that have been sitting in my stash for well over a year and have never been used. I used them to create a border along the bottom of my card. Then to add a bit more bling I added some crystal stickles to the top of each one. Very simple and easy.

Recipe:
Paper- SU Whisper White Cardstock, SU Old Olive, Coordinations Pink cardstock (not sure of the name)
Ink- SU Old Olive, Rose Red, CTMH Chocolate
Stamps- CTMH Grown With Love, Studio G for the sentiment
Accessories- SU Scalloped Circle Punch, CM large circle punch, SU Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, Crystal Stickles, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Folder

Practical Scrappers Challenge: Die Cutting Machines!

2010-02-04T07:13:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The challenge this week over at Practical Scrappers was to create a project using any type of die cutting machine. There are tons of great projects and I encourage you to head on over and take a look.

This week I created a shape card using my cricut machine. My daughter loves The Wiggles and for her birthday I made her a "Wiggles" shaped birthday card. To make this card I cut out 2 paper dolls from the Everyday Paper Doll cartridge. Then I cut a small rectangle of paper out of the same skin tone paper I used for the paper dolls. I folded the rectangular piece in half and attached it to the top of the paper dolls. This created a hinge and attached the two paper dolls together forming a portrait style card. Now if you were really talented you could use your Design Studio or Gypsy to weld your shapes together. I opted to go the easy route because my Design Studio skills are not up to par.

Here are a few pictures so you can see how the two paper dolls are attached. As you can see, once you add all of the layers you really can't see the hinge that is holding the dolls together unless you look closely.

All the pieces I used to decorate my paper doll came from the Everyday Paper Doll cartridge as well. I just went through the booklet looking for things that I could use to make a "Murray Wiggle" band member. The Everyday Day Paper Doll cartridge is perfect for this because you can mix and match creating any look to meet your needs. I always like to ink my cricut cuts to make them stand out and give them dimension. This small step really makes a big difference.

Recipe:
Paper- Various pieces of cardstock from my stash
Ink- Jumbo Java Chalk Ink, Niagara falls chalk ink, archival black ink
Stamps- Studio G stamp
Accessories- Cricut, Everyday Paper Dolls Cartridge

Thanks for stopping by,
Cat

Serendipity!

2010-02-03T14:00:00.002-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I was playing around with some of my supplies trying to get my card done for Practical Scrappers next week and nothing seemed to be working. I tried all sorts of punches and stamps but I couldn't get my card to look the way I had envisioned. Finally I decided to go in an entirely different direction. Success! My card for Practical scrappers is done but now what do I do with all the scraps?

Well that is where Serendipity comes in! I just started playing around with various left over elements from my Practical Scrappers card and I ended up with the cutest little Valentine. It was definitely a "fortunate accident".

I am planning on giving this card to my daughter so she can take it to school for her valentine fundraiser.

Recipe:
Paper- Scrap cardstock (SU and Coordinations, Patterned paper in centre from My Minds Eye
Ink- SU Cameo Coral and Rose Red
Accessories- SU Five Petal flower punch, SU small circle punch, Sizzlets leaf die, SU ticket corner punch, skittles, crystal stickles, left over cover for a build a brad

Addicted to Photo Masks.

2010-02-02T18:53:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Okay, it only took me creating one mask and now I am hooked! Here is a second mask that I created today.

For this one I was going for a more grungy look. I didn't want to use any flourishes. I used a lot of paint splashes, and strokes around the outside of my photo box.

Here is what my mask looks like with and without a picture.

Here is what it looks like on a completed page.

Here is the right hand page of my double page spread. I tried something new with this page as well.

For this page I wanted to continue using the softer outline on my photos to help bring the same feel as the photo mask. I created a collage of photos then softened the edge of all of them. Then I changed the opacity of the photos to about 80%. When they were placed how I wanted them I flattened each photo individually so I could soften the edges even more using the "filters" tool on the format ribbon. When that was done I flattened all the photos together as one single element then used the soft edge filter again. This gave me a nice soft edge around the entire photo collage. I really like how the photos blend into one another.

To make the collage look a bit more like the photo mask on my left hand page I added a few of the paint spatters around the edge of my collage. I changed the opacity on the paint spatters to so they would blend with my collage better.

Recipe:
Paper- Ettes and Company Wonderful World Collection
Accessories- Ettes and Company wonderful World Collection, Stitched page overlay freebie, and vintage page overlay from designer digitals.
Fonts- Angelina, and SBC Stone Inscription

Thanks for taking a look! I would love to see the masks that you all have created. Please leave a comment with a link to your creation.

Cat

My First Digital Mask

2010-02-01T10:20:00.011-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I have used photo masks on a few of my layouts and love the look of them but I have never actually created my own before. I was always told they were easy but really didn't believe anyone when they said that. You know what? They are easy! This mask probably took me about 15 minutes to make and I really didn't have a clue what I was doing.

I started out with an empty 4x6 landscape photo frame. I altered the photo frame using the Format Photos ribbon, then selecting "select", then "cutouts" from the drop down menu. I chose the "rustic" option. This gave my photo opening a soft wavy edge.

After that I added a few swirls, paint splatters, and a title. I put a really slight grey glow under the two swirls and I think I added the frosted glass filter to give a slightly grainy texture to them (can't remember now). Once I added all my layers I changed everything to black. Then I selected everything on the page and flattened it so I was one piece.

Now came the interesting part. I picked a number of pictures and tried inserting them into the photo mask. Some of them worked better than others. I had to play around with the cropping to get my photo where I wanted it. You have to remember your photo will always fill the mask starting with the top left corner of the photo so you will need to play with it to get your subject centered.

Here are some pictures of the mask without a photo and with a photo.

Here it is on a finished page.

If you any questions please don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment. I would love to help you. This mask was so much fun to do and I can't wait to try more.

Thanks for stopping by,
Cat

My Pink Stamper Challenge #3

2010-01-31T12:57:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is the final challenge from over at My Pink Stamper. Robyn asked everyone to make a tag. Well I have to admit, I haven't made very many of these so it definitely was a challenge for me.

This weekend I have been focusing on using up my scraps of paper, so the tag along with the two cards I have made used Melon Mambo Cardstock for the base. Hopefully you don't get too sick of this colour before the weekend is through.

I made the tag by cutting a rectangular piece of cardstock out with my trimmer and then used the tag corner punch from stampin up on the two top corners. I added a grommet to the top as well for the hole for the ribbon.

I used my cupcake stamp set from inkadinkado. This is such a cute set and I don't pull it out nearly as often as I would like to. I stamped my cupcake twice. Once on white cardstock and the other on a piece of fancy pants patterned paper. Then I cut out the patterned paper and attached it to the white cardstock so I could have a colourful cupcake wrapper. To finish off the cupcake I put white liquid applique on the top for the frosting as well as some pink glitter (hard to see in the picture). Then I used my heat embossing gun to make the liquid applique all puffy so it looked like frosting.

I added a few pieces of scraps paper to the bottom and popped up my cupcake with dimensionals to finish off the tag.

Recipe:
Paper- SU melon mambo cardstock, white cardstock, fancy pants patterned paper scraps
Ink- Black archival ink, jumbo java chalk ink
Stamps- Inkadinkado cupcake set (sorry I can't remember the name)
Accessories- Melon Mambo Polka dot ribbon, SU jumbo eyelets, liquid applique, heat embossing gun, SU dimensionals, SU tag corner punch

I hope you have had fun participating in the MPS challenges as much as I have,
Cat

My Pink Stamper Challenge #2

2010-01-30T21:21:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Over at My Pink Stamper Robyn has given everyone another challenge. She has asked everyone to try and create something "warm and springy" to help warm everyone up and beat the winter blahs. She suggested pulling out your Life's a Beach cartridge or something with flowers on it. Well I have to admit I purchased the Life's a Beach cricut cartridge a while ago and I have never used it. It was one of those cartridges I just had to have and I hadn't done anything with it yet.

Well, tonight I actually used it and am quite pleased with the results. I tried out the square card feature and it worked pretty well. I did have a few issues with it. Not sure if it is a glitch in the cartridge or something I am doing wrong (Probably the glitch is in the person working the machine! LOL!).

I cut my square card at 5 1/4" using the mermaid cut. Then I measured the mermaid (she was 3.5") and cut out a base and her layers at 3.5". I had to cut her layers 3 times, in yellow, green, and pink to get all the pieces I wanted in the correct colours. I put my mermaid together then went to put her on the card base and she didn't want to fit quite right. The size seemed to be the same but her arms seemed to be slightly off compared to the square card base (you will be able to see pink outlines where she didn't line up if you look closely). I fiddled with the cut and card base for a few minutes and then decided it didn't really matter in the end.

To jazz up the outside of the card I cut out some seaweed in a variety of sizes and colours to put on the card. I also stamped my sentiment, and added some polka dot ribbon from my stash.

Then I decided I wanted to make this card a shaker card. To do this I attached transparency on the inside of the card (3.5" square). I placed foam tape around the entire opening and added glitter and micro beads (make sure you don't leave any holes or your beads and glitter will fall out). Then I place a 4" piece of water patterned paper over the foam tape. The final step was to add stickles to make it sparkle that much more.

I am really pleased with how well it turned out. I love the shaker cards and the square card feature on this cartridge is perfect for this technique.

Here is the Recipe:
Paper- SU Melon Mambo Cardstock, Water patterned paper (retired) from Creative Memories, Creative Memories cardstock scraps for layers, transparency from Staples
Ink- Archival Black Ink
Stamp- Studio G dollar stamp from Micheal's
Accessories- SU Crushed Curry Polka Dot ribbon, Close To My Heart Foam Tape, silver microbeads, pink and blue fine glitter, Stickles in crystal, green, and yellow

Have fun and stay warm this weekend,
Cat

Digital Layout Ettes Dude Collection

2010-01-30T08:59:00.007-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another layout featuring a kit from The Ettes and Company. This collection is called Dude and it is super cute. Perfect for little boy, kid, and outdoor layouts. I really liked the shades of blue in this collection and the monsters are adorable!

The first page of this double page spread is scraplifted from The Ettes and Company design team. I fell in love with the layout and had to recreate it myself. The second page is a live template that I used in my CM Storybook software. I apologize I can't remember where I got the live template from so if anyone recognizes it then please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

The only other special technique I used for this double page spread is adding "glitter" to a few of my embellishments (bracket, flowers, and hearts). This is a very simple trick but adds some really nice texture to your page.

To add "glitter" to an element you need to select the element then go to your format ribbon, select "surfaces", choose the first surface (block), and move the amplification bar all the way to the right (10). This should give you a "glitterized" effect. If it doesn't show enough then you can always repeat the steps to get a more grainy texture. Thanks goes out to Macey Goode for sharing this neat trick with the CM Digi scrapping community.

I apologize for the blurred photos but I thought since there were other children in the photo other than my own, and I didn't ask permission to post their pictures I would blur them out.

Have a great weekend,
Cat

Pink Stamper Challenge #1

2010-01-29T15:07:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Robyn aka My Pink Stamper is having a number of challenges throughout the day today as well as tomorrow. The first challenge she has given everyone is to use your favourite colour and black to create something.

I chose to do a card using Stampin Up's Melon Mambo with Black. I love this hot pink colour with black. The black really makes everything pop.

For this card I used my SU medallion stamp and inked it up with Pink Pirouette, then I used my SU markers to colour around the outside with Rose Red Ink (very close to Melon Mambo ink and works as a good substitute). Once that was done then I took a makeup sponge and dabbed all over the stamp to soften the lines.

To finish everything off I added some Cotton Candy Stickles, ribbon, and a rhinestone brad for a little extra bling.

If you want to get your creative juices flowing then head on over to My Pink Stamper and try out one of her challenges.

Recipe:
Paper- SU Melon Mambo, Black, and Whisper White Cardstock
Ink- SU Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, and Archival Black Ink
Stamps- SU Medallion, Heidi Grace Stamp (sorry can't remember the name)
Accessories- Pop Dots, SU rhinestone brad, paper piercer, mat pack, Cotton Candy Stickles, Melon Mambo Polka Dot ribbon.

Happy Crafting everyone,
Cat

My first Ettes and Company Layout.

2010-01-29T10:35:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I shared my first digital card with you yesterday. Well I thought I would show you a layout I just completed with some more Ettes and Company digital collections. This Collection is called "Wonderful World" and is another fantastic collection filled with so many elements and papers that you won't believe the price. I couldn't get over how big it is.

Anyway, I purchased this kit because I love the little characters that are included with them. I think they are so cute and are perfect for cards and scrapbook pages involving kids.

Everything on this page was created from the same kit. The page layout is a "Decorative Click and Fill" page from Creative Memories. I rearranged the layout a bit for the second page of the double page spread so it is similar enough for everything to flow but altered enough to create interest. At least, I hope that is how it turned out since that is what I was going for.

Recipe:
Papers- All papers are from the Wonderful World Collection by Ettes and Company
Accessories- All Elements are from the Wonderful World Collection by Ettes and Company, Decorative Click and Fill page from Creative Memories from the Simple Start CD

My first Digital Card!

2010-01-28T16:43:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I decided to try out some of my new digital kits I recently purchased and try my hand at a digital card. I have never done a digital card before but thought it might be fun. I am planning on printing the card front and insert out on my printer at home and attaching them to a card base.

I created the digital card so the finished size will be A2 with a .25" border around when I attach it to the card base.

I fell in love with this kit when my friend Lori Bickford shared a digital page on Facebook. The little monsters/aliens are so cute and the colours are perfect for kids layouts.

To purchase this amazing kit and many others at fantastic prices I encourage all of you to head on over to Ettes and Company. These ladies have amazing kits and their prices are super reasonable.

Recipe:
Paper- All digital paper from Ettes and Company Dude Collection
Accessories- All accessories with the exception of the white stitching is from the Dude Collection, White stitching is a freebie from CM
Font- SBC Karen Bear Ultra

Practical Scrappers Challenge - Patterned Paper

2010-01-28T09:07:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I'm sure we are all guilty of hoarding lots of beautiful patterned papers in our scrapbooking stash. I know there have been times when I purchase paper just because I love it, then I don't end up using it because I don't want to waste it. Well over at Practical Scrappers this week they are encouraging you to use up some of your patterned paper stash. The challenge for the designers was to use at least two different pieces of patterned paper on your project. Everyone has done a fantastic job. You should really go and check out their work.

This week I used some valentines themed paper I purchased last year and never used. All the patterned paper for my project this week comes from the same collection by My Mind's Eye. I loved the colours and I really love pink and brown together.

I always have a difficult time combining different patterned papers. I am afraid of things looking too busy or patterns/colours clashing. One way to avoid this is to pick all your patterned papers from the same collection. That way you know all the colours work together as well as the patterns.

I started out with a piece of SU Chocolate Chip cardstock and stamped the "En Francais" background stamp in versamark then heat embossed it.

I added a vellum scalloped circle that was cut with my cricut. On top of that I added a butterfly I created with my SU butterfly bigz die. I inked the edges of both of the cuts to help define them and tie the two pieces of patterned paper together. To finish off the butterfly I added three plastic beads (skittles) from my stash. The bottom is another piece of patterend paper from the same MME collection and a small scalloped border made from a piece of scrap paper. The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and is from a Heidi Grace clear stamp set.

Recipe:
Paper- SU chocolate chip cardstock, rust cardstock scrap (probably CM), white vellum, MME Irresistible collection; Sweethearts, Candy Stripe, and Sweet Blossoms
Ink- SU chocolate chip, jumbo java chalk ink, Versamark
Stamps- SU En Francais, Heidi Grace Wild Daisy Road
Accessories- Clear plastic beads, Paper piercer, Clear Embossing powder, SU scalloped border punch, SU Beautiful Butterflies die

Another Reason I Love Working with CM Live Templates.

2010-01-27T10:44:00.007-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I apologize for not posting here more often. I have been crazy busy lately trying to put together a storybook in honour of my Grandmother's 80th birthday. I love how it is coming together and everything has been so much easier thanks to CM's live templates.

I wanted this storybook to have a more heritage type feel so I purchased a few kits as well as some predesigned pages through CM. Some of the pages I could use as is and make a beautiful page in a matter of minutes. Other pages just needed a little tweeking and some were a perfect springboard for getting my creative juices flowing.

Today I wanted to show you one of the predesigned pages that came in the "Beautifully Blended" Predesigned page kit before I changed it, and I also wanted to show you my finished project so you could see how versatile these pages can be.

For this particular layout I wanted to feature a number of pictures of my Grandmother with her sister. I really liked the tree embellishment that was on the predesigned page but nothing else really fit with my overall storybook theme.

This is what the page looked like before I did anything to alter it.

To remedy this situation I changed the papers and embellishments to match the other side of my double page layout while leaving the tree alone. Then all I had to do was change the positioning of the tree embellishment and fill the circles around the tree with paper that would match my layout. Now I have a whole new layout that meets my needs but saved me lots of time because I didn't have to start from scratch! If I had had to create this tree embellishment from scratch it wouldn't have turned out nearly as nice. There are so many tiny pieces. I'm glad I can count on the CM designers to come up with amazing embellishments that I can personalize in just a few clicks.

Here is the completed double page layout.

Practical Scrappers Challenge- EMBOSSING!

2010-01-19T20:18:00.006-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The challenge over at Practical Scrappers this week is embossing. Any kind of embossing will do. You can use heat embossing, dry embossing, cuttlebug, or even pre-embossed paper. It is totally up to you.

The card I created for this challenge featured heat embossing. I decided to try out my new Close To My Heart Stamp set. It was perfect for this technique. I started out with a piece of white glossy cardstock (I tried to cheap out by using photo paper to start with and it didn't work very well.), I stamped my image with versmark ink then covered it with clear embossing powder. When that was done I used my brayer to cover the cardstock with Bashful Blue SU ink. Then I took a makeup sponge and added Brocade Blue ink (SU). Finally I added Close To My Heart Denim ink around the edges. After all my ink was layered on I took a paper towel and "polished" the glossy cardstock. This really made my image pop because the ink sticks to the cardstock but not the embossing powder.

To finish off my card front I stamped the stem using classic dye based ink in Stampin Up Old Olive and stamped my sentiment with CTMH Denim classic ink. At this point I set my card front aside to dry. It does take awhile (around 10 or 15 minutes) for the ink to dry and there is a little bit of bleeding but I really liked the soft look of the finished product. I also added a bit of Crystal stickles for some sparkle.

Finally I mounted the card to a white piece of cardstock and that to a SU Night of Navy cardbase. On the inside I put a white insert and stamped a smaller dandelion image in the bottom right corner to decorate the inside. Very simple, elegant, and fast.

Recipe:
Paper- White cardstock, Night of Navy cardstock (SU), Glossy cardstock by ranger.
Ink- SU Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, and Old Olive, CTMH Denim, Versamark
Stamps- CTMH Treasures (September 2009 stamp of the month)
Accessories- Clear Detail embossing powder, brayer, heat tool, Crystal Stickles, makeup sponge

Enjoy and have fun crafting!
Cat

Hybrid layouts

2010-01-14T09:03:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share with you one of my first hybrid layouts I recently completed. As you know, I have just started to get into digital scrapbooking. Up until recently I have been doing either completely digital layouts or completely traditional layouts. I have started adding the occasional cricut title, brad, eyelet, or sticker to my digital layouts in an effort to move toward hybrid scrapbooking. I found that I love the added dimension.

The layout I am going to share with you today is even more of a hybrid layout. I started with a digital template that I created in Storybook Creator Plus 3.0. All I did was drag my photos into the template. I didn't add any digital papers or embellishments. In fact I wanted to add some pieces of paper to my finished layout so I left some of my photo spaces blank.

When I had my photos where I wanted them I sent them to the photo printer and had two 8x10 layouts printed. This is what it looked like when I got it back from the printer.

Now I took my patterned paper and used that as the base for my 12x12 layout. All I did was trim my digital layout slightly and add it to my patterned paper. When that was done I chose some coordinating paper to fill in my blank spaces on my template along with some stickers and buttons.

One of the things I love about digital scrapbooking is having the freedom to change my photos to any size I want. The thing I love about traditional scrapbooking is playing with paper, scissors, and glue. Now I can have the best of both worlds by creating hybrid layouts.

Recipe:
Paper- CTMH Back Country level two paper pack
Accessories- Clear craft buttons from CTMH, glossy accents, sandpaper, Opposites attract Cricut Cartridge, CTMH waxy flax in colonial white, epoxy stickers from Walmart (sorry can't remember name), CM Storybook Creator Plus 3.0

I encourage all of you to step out of your comfort zone and try a hybrid layout or two. Good luck and happy scrapping!

Cat

It's all about glitter and bling at Practical Scrappers

2010-01-13T12:47:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This week at Practical scrappers the challenge was to use glitter/bling. Really anything with sparkle and shine or something that reminded you of jewellery. I tried something new on my card this week and I love the way it turned out. I will definitely be using this technique in the future. The acutal techinque is very simple. Just leave lots of time for everything to dry.

I didn't have a lot of embellishments that reminded me of jewelery but I did have quite a few stickles in my stash so that is what I used on my card to give it sparkle.

I started with a piece of glitter cardstock from DCWV for the base. Then I stamped my flower on a piece of transperancy using black staz on ink. When that was dry I "painted" my image using stickles glitter glue. I set the transperancy aside to dry (it took a number of hours). Once my stickles had dried I cut out my image and glued it to a piece of white cardstock (stickle side down) using glossy accents. To finish off my card I added some ribbon and a few skittles (plastic beads) and I was done! All in all this card took me about 10 minutes to create not including drying time.

Recipe
Paper- glitter cardstock from DCWV, CM white cardstock, Stampin Up black cardstock, transperancy paper from Staples
Ink- black stazon
Stamps- Sunny Flowers by Stampendous
Accessories- Melon Mambo polka dot ribbon by stampin up, Stickles in green, orange peel, and yellow, glossy accents by ranger, pink skittles from Micheal's

Enjoy,
Cat

Happy New Year Everyone!

2010-01-04T14:45:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and their New Year is off to a good start. Things are starting to get back to normal in our house, although we haven't tackled taking down the decorations yet.

Practical Scrappers has started the New Year with a bang. This week their challenge it working with buttons. I love buttons but often forget to use them on my projects so this was a challenge I was looking forward to.

This week I created a card using my new favourite stamp set from Close To My Heart. This stamp set is called Grown with Love and is perfect for scrappers and card makers alike.

I liked the stamp set and coordinating paper so much that I purchased some chipboard buttons to match. To help stretch my button stash I used some clear buttons and created my own patterned buttons using patterned paper, glossy accents, and stamped images.

I used glossy accents to adhere my clear buttons to patterned paper. Once the glossy accents dried I cut around my button and sanded the edges to finish them off. In less than 5 minutes I had a handful of coordinating buttons to add to my project.

Recipe:
Paper- brown bazzill cardstock from my stash, cream card base from my stash, Twitterpated patterned paper from Close To My Heart
Ink- Close To My Heart Chocolate ink, gingerbread versamagic chalk ink
Stamps- Grown with Love from Close To My Heart
Accessories- Creative Memories Circle Cutter, Creative Memories Blue Blade, Close To My Heart Dimensional Elements in Organic, Close To My Heart Clear Acrylic buttons, Glossy Accents, Close To My Heart Waxy Flax in Colonial White

Practical Scrappers Winter Activity and Christmas Traditions layouts

2009-12-21T20:01:00.006-07:00

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

2009-12-16T10:18:00.007-07:00

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!

2009-12-10T15:44:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-10T08:36:00.007-07:00

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

2009-12-05T09:50:00.004-07:00

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

2009-12-04T13:14:00.005-07:00

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

2009-12-03T08:10:00.006-07:00

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!

2009-12-02T11:51:00.007-07:00

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

2009-12-02T08:00:00.004-07:00

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.

2009-12-01T16:53:00.004-07:00

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.

2009-12-01T08:23:00.006-07:00

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!

2009-11-30T09:14:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-27T14:55:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-23T20:47:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-19T14:13:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-18T08:52:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-17T09:15:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-16T09:34:00.005-07:00

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.

2009-11-13T09:30:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-12T10:38:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-12T08:46:00.006-07:00

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

2009-11-04T08:19:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-03T08:49:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-01T16:53:00.009-07:00

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!

2009-10-30T20:34:00.002-06:00

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

2009-10-29T20:35:00.003-06:00

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

2009-10-28T15:06:00.006-06:00

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

2009-10-26T13:35:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-23T16:36:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-20T23:07:00.007-06:00

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

Practical Scrappers Office Supply Challenge

2009-10-20T14:33:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

This week at Practical Scrappers the challenge was to use any type of office supplies we wanted.

Again, this was a challenge that stretched my limit. I loved all of the ideas on practical scrappers but didn't want to copy them. The decorative paper clips were by far my favourite. If you haven't checked them out you definitely should take the time to do so.

I didn't have very many office supplies on hand and I wasn't sure how photo safe they would be for my scrapbook page. So this page doesn't actually use office supplies but I did alter scrapbooking supplies to look like office supplies.

First of all I decided to use "notebook" paper for my journalling box. I found a piece of grid paper from the DCWV grade school stack and cut out a journalling box using my Provocraft Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge. Then I recreated manilla tags using paper from my stash and my Stampin Up tag corner punch. Then I used the Stampin Up small circle punch to make the "reinforcements" that go around the hole of the manilla tag. Finally I used my large hole punch to punch the centre hole.

I inked up everything to add dimension and this is the end result. I do quite like the look of the layout even if the look is office supply inspired as opposed to actual office supplies.

I apologize for the photo quality. I seem to be photo challenged today.

Recipe:
Paper: Patterned paper from my stash (not sure of name), yellow, blue, and green (palm) cardstock are all Creative Memories, Bravo Burgundy Cardstock from Stampin Up, Grid Paper from DCWV Grade school stack
Ink: Jumbo Java versamagic chalk ink
Accessories: Cricut, Lyrical Letters cartridge for title, Graphically Speaking for Journalling box.

Decorative box for Greeting Cards

2009-10-15T14:11:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would share my latest creation with you. My friend's birthday is coming up and I wanted to give her a bunch of handmade cards for her birthday. The only problem was I didn't have a pretty way of presenting them to her.

I went onto splitcoast stampers and found some directions on how to create a box that would hold A2 greeting cards. However, I had a few cards that were 6x6 square as well as some 5x7 cards. With a few quick adjustments I created a box that was 7.75 x 7.75" and 2.25" tall. This box holds 20 cards in various sizes ranging from A2 up to 5x7. For step by step instructions click here.
If you would like to create a box that is the same size as the one I made then you need to make the following changes;

-Start with a 12x12 piece of cardstock for the base. Score the cardstock at 2.25" on each of the four sides.
- Follow the directions as per splitcoast
-For the lid I started with a 9.75"x9.75" piece of cardstock and followed the instructions as per splitcoast.

Recipe:
Paper: Stampin Up Night of Navy cardstock, Coordinations cardstock in red, DCWV textured white cardstock
Ink: CTMH Denim ink, Stampin Up Ruby Red, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold
Accessories: Stampin Up Photo Corner punch, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Texture Folder, Creative Memories Oval cutter, Blue and Green Creative Memories Blades, Fiskars Threading Water Punch, Terrifically Tacky Tape, Creative memories Taper runner, Stampin Up Dimensionals.
Stamps: Stampin Up Inspired by Nature, Autumn Leaves Big Swirls, Heidi Grace Daisy Stamp set (sorry I can't remember the name).

I hope you enjoy. Thanks for visiting,
Cat

Warmest Wishes Practical Scrappers Challenge

2009-10-14T16:36:00.004-06:00

This week on Practical Scrappers the challenge was to use lace cardstock. Well here is my take. I purchased a piece of lace cardstock a couple of years ago and I am still trying to use it up. I love the look of it I just can't seem to find a use for it. This challenge was defnitely out of my comfort zone. I also wanted to try and use up my scraps and embellishments left over from other projects as well as include my newly purchased Felt Flurries. These felt snowflakes are from last year's Stampin Up holiday mini but are on clearance right now.

I decided to use the lace cardstock as a way to add texture to my card. I cut a piece of the lace cardstock the same size as the square of baja breeze blue cardstock. Then I used pop dots on the back of the lace to give even more dimension. When the card was all finished I still thought it needed some sparkle so I added crystal stickles to various sections of the lace cardstock as well as to the felt snowflakes.

Recipe:
Paper- card blanks from Micheals, Stampin Up Chocolate chip and Baja Breeze cardstock, Stampin Up ski slope DSP, White lace cardstock (not sure of company)
Ink- Gingerbread Versamagic Chalk Ink
Accessories- brad from Stampin Up Hodge Podge Hardware, Crystal Stickles, Stampin Up dimensionals, Sentiment is a sticker from the Creative Memories Candy Cane Paper Album, Stampin Up felt flurries

Thanks for looking and happy crafting everyone,
Cat

I completed my first marathon this weekend!

2009-10-13T12:30:00.003-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been pretty busy lately. My family and I just got back from Kelowna this weekend.

I have been running off and on for about 10 years and have ran a number of road and trail races. Well this weekend I ran my first marathon! It was a fantastic experience and I am looking forward to running a second one in May. I managed to complete the 42.2km (26.1 mile) course in 4 hours 35 minutes and 11 seconds. I was hoping for a 4:30 finish time but am very pleased with my results.

I couldn't have been as successful as I was if I wasn't surrounded by so many wonderful people. My family and friends have supported me in my marathon journey and I will be forever thankful for their love and support.

Talk to you all soon,
Cat

Just Buggin & Pracital Scrappers Die Cut challenge!

2009-09-28T15:31:00.006-06:00

Well I have been doing a bit of blog hopping today and discovered a great blog called Just Buggin'. They have a great challenge going on right now. They are challenging everyone to use die cuts in some way. The twist is to alter your die cuts in anyway you like. Practical Scrappers is also encouraging crafters to use die cuts in their cards and layouts this week so this layout actually counts for two challenges.

I have started to alter my die cuts more and more. It makes them pop off your page or card and is definitely worth the effort.

Here is a page I created digitally using CM storybook creator plus and some freebies I found on the web. The twist is I printed my layout and then added a cricut cut. This was the first time I added traditional style embellishments to a digital layout. In the past my layouts have been either 100% digital or 100% traditional. I love the look of this hybrid layout and the cricut cut turned out perfectly.

My witches cauldron came from Paper Doll Dress Up. The bones came from that cartridge as well. Once everything was cut out I inked the bones and cauldron and added some black diamond stickles. Then I popped the entire piece using pop dots.

Recipe
Paper- Free digital papers from the internet, basic grey distressed black paper from my stash, white cardstock from my stash
Accessories- Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut Cartridge, Black Diamond Stickles, black chalk, pop dots

Practical Scrappers Challenge for this week. . . Transparencies!

2009-09-28T14:59:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

The challenge over at Practical Scrappers this week is to use up some of our transparencies. Well, I don't have any full 12x12 transparencies but I do have plenty of Heidi Swapp Ghost images. I do love these clear die cuts but it is a challenge to use them at times.

Here is a card I created using one of my favourite alcohol ink techniques. For full details on how to recreate this look please visit my blog entry here.

For this card I used the Heidi Swapp Ghost butterflies again. I also mounted my ghost shape on the SU bigz top note die which I embossed with the d'vine swirl cuttlebug folder. For the butterfly I used Stream and Lettuce alcohol inks.

Recipe:
Paper- SU tempting turquoise, whisper white, Bazzill Bling cardstock in light green
Ink- Ranger Adirondack Alcohol inks in stream and lettuce, Ranger jet black archival ink, SU Tempting Turquoise classic ink
Stamps- Heidi Grace daisy road, autumn leaves clear stamps big swirls set
Accessories- blue acrylic beads (skittles) from Micheal's, Graphically speaking cricut cartridge for swirl, staples, pop dots, crystal stickles, d'vine swirls cuttlebug folder, SU bigz top note die, Heidi Swapp Ghost Shapes Butterfly

Dino-Mite Layout!

2009-09-24T11:01:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share one of my favourite layouts I recently created. It took me way longer than it should have but was so worth it. I love the colours, the paper (Thanks Dany), and all of the cute cricut cuts. One thing I did differently with the cricut cuts on this layout was use pop dots. In the past I have always layered my cuts but I really love how the 3D look of using pop dots between the layers. This is a technique I am definitely going to use again.

Recipe:
Paper- Studio 8 paper company dinosaur land collection T- Rex and Stegosaurus, misc scraps from my stash
Accessories- Sesame Street Font Cricut Cartridge, Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut Cartridge, Stampin Up Scalloped Circle Punch, Stampin Up dimensionals, Zig Zag decoraive scissors
Ink- Versa Magic Chalk Ink in Gingerbread, White gel pen, green and brown cricut markers, various colours of chalk.

Together Layout

2009-09-23T10:02:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is one more layout I did over the weekend. It is one of my favourites. I love the simplicity, and the colours just seem to pop.

Recipe:
Paper- DCWV cardstock for background, CM cardstock in cement for the title
Accessories- Graphically speaking cartridge for title, DCWV adhesive ribbon, Stampin Up Kiwi Kiss corduroy buttons

Butterfly Whisperer Layout

2009-09-22T14:29:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another layout I completed this weekend. This is somewhat new for me as I very rarely do anything 3-d on my pages. However, I am quite pleased with this layout. As I look at the photos I think perhaps I should have embossed the butterflies with my cuttlebug but at the time I felt that might look too busy since the background paper is so busy.

Anyway, I used Lyrical Letters for the title. The butterflies were cut out using my Stampin Up bigz beautiful butterflies die. The circles were cut using my CM circle templates and all three blades.

I hope you enjoy this layout as much as I do. If you have any questions please email me or post a comment.

Recipe
Paper: Basic Grey-two scoops/sprinkles, yellow, blue, and coral cardstock from my stash (not sure which manufacturer)
Accessories: CM circle templates, red, blue, and green blades, stampin up bigz beautiful butterflies die, cuttlebug

Thanks for visiting,
Catherine

Slip N Slide with Everyday Paperdolls!

2009-09-21T08:50:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is one of the layouts I created during my girls weekend this weekend. This was the first time in awhile that I actually did a traditional style layout with no digital elements to it. I really like playing with paper and creative tools but have been too lazy lately to get my pictures printed so have been creating digital layouts for the past few months. This weekend I stuck with traditional paper layouts.

For this layout I used Everyday Paper Dolls to create my little bathing beauty element. She turned out really cute. I used peachy keen stamps for the face. For the title I used Lyrical Letters. This is a fantastic cartridge that is so versatile. If you are new to the cricut world I highly recommend picking this cartridge up. In fact if you only have one font cartridge this is the one to have.
The brackets on this page were also from Lyrical Letters.

Thanks for visiting. Happy Crafting,
Cat

Just got back from a scrapbooking weekend!

2009-09-20T14:34:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I just got back from a scrapbooking retreat with my girlfriends. I had so much fun and managed to get quite a few pages done. I can't wait to show you some of my creations. I ended up using my new Lyrical Letters cartridge quite a bit. If you were thinking about getting a font cartridge this would be one I would highly recommend. It has so many fonts to choose from as well as other little gems.

Talk to you soon,
Cat

Toadally- Cool

2009-09-15T20:41:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I am trying to go through my patterned paper and use some of it up. I bought this paper a few years ago on an impulse because it was so cute and I haven't ever used it for anything. I also bought the stickers that went with it. Well I finally pulled it out and created this card. It was super easy and very quick to make.

My inspiration came from a recent pink stamper episode (Episode 143 You totally rock).

Here is my version.

Recipe:
Paper- Creative Imaginations studio basics 101 double sided paper, SU real red carstock, Bazzill textured white cardstock, white premade cardbase from Micheal's
Accessories- SU ticket corner punch, Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge, Cuttin' Up Cricut Cartridge, Stardust Stickles, Creative imaginations coordinating sticker sheet

Thanks for looking,
Cat

Practical Scrappers Letter Stickers Challenge

2009-09-14T10:24:00.006-06:00

This week over at Practical Scrappers they are doing a letter sticker challenge. We are to create a layout/card using our letter stickers. The only catch is we can't use them to create a title.

The moment I read the challenge an idea popped into my head. I used the layout on practical scrappers as inspiration and went from there.

This is a card for my brother in law's 40th birthday that is coming up. I hope he likes it and I hope you do to.

Recipe:
Paper- Various scraps from my stash
Stamps- Peachy Keen face stamps (works with 4-4.5" dolls)
Ink- Black Archival Ink
Accessories- SU Bigz Top Note Die, Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut Cartridge, Cuttin Up Cricut Cartridge, CM Everyday Power Pallette Stickers, red, gold, and silver letter stickers from CM, Black repositionable alphabitties by Provo Craft, Tiny Alphas in Black, White, Sabrina, and Chloe's Closet all by Making Memories, Pink chalk for the cheeks, white gel pen.

Cocoa Botanical Blooms Card

2009-09-14T08:05:00.009-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another card I made using Cameo Coral and the Botanical Blooms stamp set. Again, I cased this card off of splitcoaststampers. If you are ever looking for inspiration this is definitely the place to go.

I used my SAB stamp set called Botanical Blooms and Sage Shadow, Cameo Coral, and Close to Cocoa cardstock.

To add a bit of interest and texture I ran the front of my card through my cuttlebug using the Stylized Flowers embossing folder.

To finish it off I added some micro beads and 3 clear skittles.

Recipe:
Paper- SU cardstock in sage shadow, close to cocoa, cameo coral, and whisper white
Ink- SU sage shadow, chocolate chip, cameo coral
Accessories- Cuttlebug Stylized flowers embossing folder, clear skittles from Micheal's, Clear Microbeads, small glue dots, crystal effects to adhere the microbeads, Creative Memories large square maker
Stamp Set- SU Botanical Blooms

I just won my first challenge!

2009-09-12T21:42:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I just found out that my Cameo Quilt card I entered into the Shape Punches Challenge over at Practical Scrappers won! I am thrilled that fellow scrappers thought my card was even worthy to enter the challenge at all. I know that we are our own worst critics and it is so nice to get a pat on the back every once in a while.

Thanks Christine for letting me partipate and picking my card out of the bunch. Everyone's entries were outstanding.

I encourage everyone to pop on over to Practical Scrappers and join in on the fun as well as see everyone's fantastic work.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting,
Cat

Medallion 50th Anniversary Card

2009-09-11T07:59:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone,

The other day I was asked to create a 50th anniversary card for friend. From the moment she asked me I knew that I wanted to use the new Stampin Up Medallion stamp. I found this card done by rbright on splitcoast stampers and fell in love instantly. I used her card as a starting point and it evolved from there.

First of all I stamped the medallion in gold Color Box Pigment ink on glossy cardstock. Then I embossed the image with clear embossing powder. When that was dry I took my rubber brayer and added Pink Pirouette ink to the glossy cardstock.

When I had finished with the image I decided I wanted to add a bookplate around the sentiment. The only problem was I didn't have any gold hardware. I chose an oval bookplate from the Stampin Up HodgePodge Hardware kit and used Gold Adirondack Mixatives to dye my bookplate and brads. Alochol inks are fast drying inks that adhere to slick surfaces such as metal and acetate so they coated the hardware nicely and dried within about 2 minutes. The end result is an antiqued gold finish which works perfectly with the antique look of the rest of the card.

To finish off the front of the card I added a clear jewel to the centre. These jewels are actually the same kind you can get at the dollar store and use to decorate your cell phone and such. They are perfect because they are inexpensive and have adhesive backs so you aren't messing around with trying to glue them yourself.

For the inside of the card I used my cricut by Provocraft to add some finishing touches. I used my new Lyrical Letters Cartridge to cut out the number 50 in Pink Pirouette cardstock at approximately 3 inches. Then I cut out the words "Happy Anniversary" from the Beyond Birthdays cartridge in Close to Cocoa Cardstock at approximately 2 inches. I distressed the 50 with gold ink and mounted it on a 5.25" square piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock. Then mounted the "happy anniversary" right over top.

To finish it all off I mounted the Pink Pirouette to some Bazzill Bling white cardstock and added some more jewels.

I hope you enjoy my version of a medallion card.

Recipe:
Paper- Stampin Up Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Bazzill Bling in White
Ink- ColorBox pigment ink in Gold, Pink Pirouette, Adirondack Alcohol ink Gold Mixatives
Stamps- Stampin Up Medallion, Stampin Up Oval All
Accessories- Clear Embossing Powder, Brayer, Stampin Up ticket Corner Punch, Cricut, Lyrical Letters Cartridge, Beyond Birthdays Cartridge, Self Adhesive Jewels, Hodge Podge Hardware in Silver, Speedball Rubber Brayer, Stampin Up large oval punch, Xyron 150 to adhere sentiment inside card.

Thanks for looking,
Cat

Cricut has released 100 cartridges!

2009-09-10T15:58:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I was just browsing the Cricut Messageboard and they have just announced the release of their 100th cartridge. It is Winter Woodland and is filled with many wonderful country style cuts.

Check it out by clicking here!

Enjoy and Happy Crafting,
Cat

Parisian Blooms

2009-09-10T09:31:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another card I created using my Parisian Breeze DSP. Again it is a case off of Splitcoast with only a few minor changes. I used the Botanical Blooms stamp set from Stampin Up. I used some micros beads for the first time in the centres of the blooms. To adhere the beads I used Crystal Effects. It worked beautifully! The Crystal Effects dried relatively quickly and the micro beads stayed stuck really well.

Recipe:Paper- Parisian Breeze Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Baja Breeze Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, Creative Memories Grey Paper
Ink- Chocolate Chip Ink, Old Olive Ink, Sea Breeze Versamagic Chalk Ink
Accessories- Chocolate Chip corduroy buttons, Fiskars Threading Water Punch, Creative Memories Corner Rounder, Micro Beads
Stamps- Stampin Up Botanical Blooms, Stampin Up Pocket Silouettes for the sentiment

Enjoy and Happy Crafting,
Cat

Parisian Dream Card

2009-09-09T08:21:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is one of my latest card creations. I decided to use some of my much loved Parisian Breeze paper from Stampin Up. This Designer Series Paper is now retired so I have been very careful when choosing projects to use it on.

I was visiting the sheetloads of cards website (listed on my sidebar on the right side of the page) and found the archives for the August Issue of Sheetloads. On the front cover was the most beautiful card and it was created with the Parisian Breeze paper. I just had to case it!

So here is my creation.

Recipe:
Inks- SU Chocolate Chip, Versamagic Chalk Ink in Seabreeze
Paper- SU Cardstock in Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White, Creative Memories Grey Paper, SU Parisian Breeze DSP
Accessories- Scalloped Edge Punch from SU, Mini Mongrams Cricut Cartridge for the Scalloped Circle and circle, Aqua Painter to create the background on the stamped image, SU dimensionals
Stamp Sets- SU Dream a Little (Hostess set in last catalogue)

Thanks for visiting and Happy Crafting,
Cat

Cottage Garden Layout

2009-09-08T07:19:00.007-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Since the new SBC 3.0 comes with the new Cottage Garden kit I thought I would share a layout using this fantastic kit. I love the colours and textures in this kit. They are perfect for outdoor layouts.

I started this layout by using the free template that was offered on the CM project centre website. Then I added papers and embellishments from the the Cottage Garden kit. To make it a double page layout I copied the template to a second page and switched some things around so it wasn't exactly the same but still had flow.

I am really happy with this double page layout. I like how the colours in Cottage Garden enhance my outdoor pictures of the kids and I love the subtle textures and flourishes throughout the papers.

If you haven't already upgraded to 3.0 now is the time. Especially if you haven't already purchased this kit. I think this is my favourite kit and since making the purchase a few months ago the majority of my pages have included something from the Cottage Garden collection.

Enjoy and Happy Crafting,

Cat

Cameo Quilt Card

2009-09-06T13:01:00.006-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is another card made with one of my favourite colour combos. This was done with whisper white, cameo coral, real red, and old olive cardstock. I punched out 1 1/2" squares using my CM square maker. When I had three of each colour I ran the squares through my cuttlebug using the d'vine swirls, distressed stripes, script, and swiss dots folders. Then I glued them onto a piece of scrap cardstock that I had cut so it was aobut 1/4" bigger than my bigz top note die. In order for the quilt to look most appealing I started with the centre two squares and worked out from there. When I had all of the squares where I wanted them I lined up the middle two squares with the middle of my top note die and ran it through the cuttlebug. Now I have a patchwork quilt top note die.

To accent my card I used my polkadot punches stamp set. The centre of my punched flower is covered with an extra brad topper from the build a brad set.

"Smile" was stamped with chocolate chip ink.

Recipe:
Ink:Chocolate chip, Real Red, Old Olive, and Cameo Coral
Accessories: SU top note die, swiss dots, script, distressed strip, and d'vine swirl cuttlebug folders, build a brad, SU corner ticket punch, Creative Memories Square Maker
Paper: SU old olive, real red, cameo coral, and whisper white cardstock
Stamp set: SU polka dot punches

Enjoy and Happy Crafting,
Catherine

Cameo Christmas Card

2009-09-04T07:42:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I just received my latest SU order and it included the sweet treat cups as well as the Serene Snowflake stamp set. I got a chance yesterday to play with my new stamp set and decided to do a non traditional Christmas card using one of my favourite colour combinations Cameo Coral, Real Red, and Old Olive. I cased a card done by Wannabestampin' over at splitcoast stampers. It was a gorgeous card done in browns and was a beautiful layout. I wanted to see what it would look like done in bright colours.

I used my cuttlebug embossing folders (swiss dots, snowflakes) to addd some texture. I decided to use the Rock n Roll technique to ink up my snowflakes and they turned out really nice. I like how this technique adds dimension and visual interest to your stamped image.

Finally I finished the card off with a bit of stardust stickles and some old olive coloured ribbon from my stash.

Recipe:
Paper: SU Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folders (swiss Dots, snowflakes), green ribbon, gold mini brads
Ink: Cameo Coral, Real Red, Old Olive
Stamp Set: SU Serene Snowflakes

Happy Crafting,
Catherine

Storybook 3.0 has new text formatting features!

2009-09-03T10:17:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I created a layout this morning and played with some of the new text features that Storybook Creator 3.0 offers.

First off I used the free template that I found on the Creative Memories Digital Freebie Website. This is a fantastic site to visit and boost your digital content for free. Once I had the template I altered it to meet my needs. I didn't have as many photos as were in the template so I deleted some photo frames and enlarged the photo frames that were left. Another option would have been to fill some of the empty photo frames with patterned paper or used them as text boxes.

Next I decided to change my text box in the middle so the text would fill in an eliptical shape. To do this click on the "Format Text" ribbon. Select your text box and click on text shape. Now you have a ton of shapes to choose from. I chose the elipse so it would mimic the shape of the middle circle.

The other thing I tried was using the "Text Path" feature. To use this feature you click on the "Insert" ribbon on your tool bar. Select "Text Path". A dialog box comes up where you can choose how you want your text to flow. I decided to stay with the default option. Then you click anywhere on your page to create a path. I wanted my text to follow the circular path on each of my photos. I simply placed a few points at the bottom of my photo until I had the effect I wanted. Once you have the path you want click create and the path is layed out for you on the screen. If you aren't happy then you can select "edit path" and move your points around.

Now all you do is type your text and it will follow the path your created. I found that in my case my text wasn't centering so I just placed a few spaces in front of my text until it was placed where I wanted it.

The other new feature that I played with is the rubber stamping feature. I used the rubber stamping feature on my Earthly Serenity overlay. This gives a really neat rubber stamped effect to your image. To use this feature I added my overlay to my page. While the overlay was selected I right clicked and selected "rubber stamp" from the drop down menu. A dialogue box comes up and you can play around with the various options until you get the desired effect. When you are done click create and a rubber stamped version of your element appears on your page. I played around with the placement of this image and tried layering it over my original overlay for a pretty neat look. In the end I deleted my original overlay and just used my rubber stamped overlay.

I also played with the opacity of my rubber stamped overlay so it wasn't quite as intense.

Here is the recipe for the layout above:
Storybook Creator Plus 3.0
Creative Memories Earthy Serenity overlay #8
Creative Memories Freebie Template
All colours for this layout were sampled from Stampin Up colours (Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip (altered a bit), and Close to Cocoa. I will explain how to do this in a future post.

Happy Crafting,
Catherine

SU Sweet Treat Cups Birthday Card

2009-09-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

My sister in law just dropped off my latest SU order today. I ordered some Sweet Treat Cups as well as the Serene Snowflakes stamp set. I couldn't wait to try out the sweet treat cups and I had the perfect opportunity. We are having a birthday party for my other sister in law so I thought I would try and create a birthday card for her and use the cups as well.

For this card I followed the instructions on the "Stampin-Style" blog where he gives instructions on how to create a card with a trap door so your hard work doesn't have to be ruined to get the candy out of the treat cup.

The inspiration for my card came from the new holiday mini catalogue on page 20. The card is complete except for the missing treats that I need to run out and get. I am planning on filling the treat cup with pink and brown smarties to stick with my colour scheme.

Here is the recipe for my card:

Paper: Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, and Pink Pirouette. The tag was cut out of a DCWV stack (not sure which one)

Ink: Stampin Up Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Ribbon from my stash, SU Bigz Top Note Die, SU Scalloped Edge Punch, Mini Mongrams Cricut Cartridge, Pooh Font Cartridge for the sentiment, Design Studio to weld sentiment together, Creative Memories circle cutter and blue blade to create 1 3/4" circle, SU Sweet Treat Cups

I had a lot of fund creating this card and encourage all of you to try the new sweet treat cups! Lots of fun.

Happy Crafting,
Catherine

Stamps: House Mouse stamp, Studio G dollar stamps for sayings

My First layout with Storybook Creator Plus 3.0!

2009-09-01T21:35:00.000-06:00

Well I promised you I would create a layout with my template I created earlier today and I finally got a chance to finish it. I decided to use the same colour scheme as my last layout so I could use them together as a double page spread.

The papers are all from the CM Disney Vacation digital kit. I love the bright cheerful colours and patterns in this kit. They work well with layouts involving kids and family.

Enjoy,
Catherine

My first template with Storybook 3.0!

2009-09-01T16:23:00.000-06:00

Well I took sometime to check out some of the new features on Storybook Creator 3.0 and let me tell you it is awesome! If you haven't already downloaded the upgrade now is the time to do it!

I know this template is super simple but I did use a few of the new features and it makes creating pages so much easier.

First of all I love that there is now a feature so you can double or even triple your mats around your photos with a click of the button. The old version allowed you to mat your photo but it was a pain in the butt to mat using paper now you can select how many mats you want and choose the type of fill as well.

The other feature I used on this template was the corner rounding feature. There are tons of choices to pick from. I used the plain rounded corner but there are loops and decorative corners galore!

The other feature that I played with was the ability to change the shape of my text. You can create a text box that allows you to write your text in any shape you want. Now you can have circular text boxes or thought bubbles. Anything you want. In the end I chose to stick with a square text box but it was fun to play none the less.

So here you go! My first template. I plan on creating a scrapbook page once I get a few moments so you can see the real deal but I am too excited not to share my draft.

As always I love your comments and if I can help in any way please contact me. I am also willing to share the love, so just leave a comment or email me and I will happily send you the page file of the template you like.

My inspiration for this template came from the Becky Higgins Sketches in the May 2009issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine. It is also featured on page 45 of the same issue.

Happy Crafting everyone,
Catherine

Creative Memories just released Storybook Creator Plus 3.0 today!

2009-09-01T09:30:00.001-06:00

Creative Memories has released the newest version of Storybook Creator Plus. I am so excited about the new updates and am downloading is as well as a few digital kits as I type this out. I will give it a test run and let you know what I think. For those of you who already have SBC+ then the update is only $9.95!

Changing a jpg template into a SBC+ template.

2009-08-23T13:55:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know I absolutely love Storybook Creator Plus (SBC+). I also love templates. They make digital scrapbooking super fast and easy. The only issue I have had up until lately has been that the free digital templates on the web have not worked with SBC+. SBC+ uses .page files for their pages instead of jpg.

I received an email from Elise, a wonderful lady and fellow digital scrapbooker. She gave me a few tips on how to change a regular jpg template into a SBC+ template that could be altered and embellished with ease. I thought this was such a creative way to make digital templates usable in SBC+ that I wanted to share the process with all of you.

First I went to www.pagemaps.com and found a jpg digital template I liked. This is a fantastic site for templates. You can use them digitally or traditionally. I highly recommend a visit.

I saved the jpg image to my hard drive in a folder specifically designated for such things so I could find it easily.

I imported the image into SBC+ just like any other digital paper. To do this, open SBC+, click on "My stuff" in the top left hand corner of your screen, (at this point I created a "templates" folder in SBC. I thought this would be the easiest way to find them). To create a template collection in "My Stuff" go to "File", then "Add Collection". I named my collection "templates". Once you have created a "templates folder" highlight it and click on "content", "add paper". A window will pop up and you can navigate through your folders until you find the jpg templates you saved earlier. Add you jpg templates into SBC+.

Now that your templates are saved you can either open up an existing storybook or create a new one for templates. Once your project is open, select the jpg image from your paper menu and make the template your background.

Then you will highlight the whole thing. Right click and "unlock" the background. In order to manipulate this jpg image you will need to "flatten" it. To do this you can right click and select "flatten".

Then use your "tools"(straight, rectangle, ellipse, shapes, custom, and wand) to "cut around" the elements in the image. Select the tool that will let you copy the exact image you want to cut and zoom in to insure accuracy. For example if you have a photo box in your jpg then select the rectangle tool and zoom in. Make your rectangle as close to the size and shape as the one in the jpg. Once your rectangle is as close as possible make sure your shape is highlighted, not shaded and select "cut around the shaded area".

Now you will have two pieces to your jpg (the small rectangle and the rest of the background). Make sure the "shape" is highlighted (usually the entire background and the shape are selected.) Once you have the shape by itself then flatten it. Do this for all the shapes on your template using the various tools.

Once you are done, you will have a template that you can drop pictures or paper into. In order to make the template even more user friendly I added empty photo frames (select the photo tool bar, "add new photo frame") and made them the exact same size and placed them directly over top of the photo boxes in the jpg.

To make the empty photo frames the same size as the existing photo boxes in the jpg select the empty photo frame then the jpg photo box. Now right click, select "sizing" and "make the same size". While both elements are selected right click again and select "align", "middle", and "center". Now the elements will be stacked on top of one another. You can now select the jpg element only and delete it. Repeat this step with all of your photo boxes. When you are done you will have empty photo frames to drop pictures into. This extra step is worth it because you can manipulate your photos within the frame. If you skip this step cropping your photos to fit in the boxes can be tricky. Trust me, it is worth doing this extra step.

I did the same thing to add my journaling boxes. Cut around the journaling box in the jpg template and flattened just like all of the other elements. Then add a text box using SBC+ (select the "text" toolbar and "insert text" "place text on the page"). Select the SBC+ text box and the flattened journaling box on the jpg image. Make them the same size. Align them so they were on top of one another. Delete the flattened journaling box so all you are left with is the SBC+ one. This is the exact same process you just used to get your empty photo frames the right size, shape, and place on your layout.

After you do all that you will notice that what was once your background is now a shape with a bunch of holes in it. This causes problems when you go to manipulate your SBC+ template. To solve this problem select your background and delete it. Now you are left with an empty background for your elements and can fill this background with any colour or digital paper that you would like. To fill it with a digital paper simply select the paper you want and click "make background". Here are two examples of jpg images that I downloaded from pagemaps and my SBC+ manipulated templates.

These instructions may seem daunting and some of you may be wondering if it is all worth it. In my opinion it is! There are quite a few steps but they are all very quick. I cleaned up these templates in about 10 minutes from start to finish and now I have two layouts that I can use over and over again. Well worth it!

Here are the two pages I downloaded from pagemaps.

Here is what I ended up with after playing in SBC+ for 10 minutes.

Finally here is one of the templates that has been used as the base for a scrapbook page. This page took me approximately 15 minutes to create.

If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to email me. I would love to help people out any way I can.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting,
Cat

Playing with the New SU in colours

2009-08-15T15:58:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Well I finally decided to experiment with the new Stampin Up in colours. To be honest with you, I really think they are horrible and have no idea what SU was thinking when they put these out. I know there are people out there that love them but they are not working for me. That being said I do love how this card turned out and may just grow to love the colours the more I work with them.

I started off by going to the SU colour combo site. I highly recommend trying this tool out. It is great for figuring out what colours go together.

I decided to go with Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Lovely Lilac, and Apricot Appeal. Then I had a look at some cards and found one I fell in love with. My inspiration came from Jennifer McGuire's Blog. She is one talented lady and her blog definitely warrants a visit.

Here is my take on Jennifer's card.

Recipe:
Paper- All SU Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Apricot Appeal, Lovely Lilac
Ink- Gingerbread versamark chalk ink, Cloud White Versa Magic Multisurface Chalk ink
Stamps- SU French Script, SU Upsy Daisy for the sentiment, Daisy D's Petals stamp set for the flourish
Accessories & Tools- SU scalloped punch, SU Bigz Beautiful Butterfly Die, SU jumbo eyelets in pewter, Stampendous Winter Wonderland embossing powder.

Happy Crafting,
Cat

Here is a link to a great template tutorial.

2009-08-04T23:51:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

I have had a number of requests from people wanting to know more about digital templates and SBC+. I have touched on the subject of creating templates but haven't actually given detailed information in the form of a tutorial. However, I have found an excellent blog filled with tons of information on SBC+ as well as a wonderful tutorial on creating your own digital templates. Here is the link to "Dabling" in Digital. If you are the least bit interested in learning about SBC+ then this is the place to visit.

Using a Sketch to make a digital template.

2009-08-03T21:53:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I have a hard time believing that we are entering our final month of summer vacation. It has gone by way to fast and I haven't scrapbooked nearly as much as I would have liked. Or updated my blog as much as I would have liked either.

I thought I would share one of my more recent scrapbook pages with you. One of my favourite ways to scrapbook is to look through scrapbooking magazines and books and scraplift ideas that catch my eye. My two favourite idea books are "Creative Sketches for Scrapbooking" Volumes 1 and 2 by Becky Higgins. I love her style and the books are really well organized.

I also love looking at her sketches in "Creating Keepsakes" Magazine. At a recent crop, I was looking throught the June 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes and flipped to the sketches pull out section for some ideas and found one I fell in love with.

I took sketch #15 from the sketches pull out (it was featured on page 80 of the June 2009 issue of CK magazine) and turned it into a Storybook Creator Plus template.

Here is a picture of the template I created as well as the scrapbook page I created. I have to admit I am not completely done my scrapbook page as I plan on adding my title using my Cricut die cutter as well as a few other embellies once the page is printed.

As always, I am happy to share my templates with you just leave me a comment and a way to contact you so I can email the page file.

Please note that this template file will only work with the Storybook Creator Plus Software.

Bigz Top Note Die

2009-07-02T08:36:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of my canuck friends out there had a great Canada Day yesterday. I know that my family and myself had a wonderful time enjoying each other's company and the wonderful weather we had.

Happy 4th of July to everyone south of the border! I hope the weather cooperates for all of your outdoor festivities.

Here is a anther simple card I made. I used the Bigz Top Note Die from Stampin Up. I love this die and am finding I use it way more than I expected to. There is nothing fancy on this card. Simple straight forward stamping with a little bit of distressing. I don't have any stampin Up markers yet so I stamped my image in Bashful blue and then used my aquapainter to add some Certainly celery ink to the stems. It would have looked so much better if I had the markers but I used the supplies I had.

Enjoy!

Recipe:
Bigz Top Note Die from Stampin Up
Sale a bration Designer Series Paper from Stampin Up
Yellow Cardstock from Creative Memories
Green Cardstock from Creative Memories
Whisper White Cardstock from Stampin Up
Upsy Daisy Stamp Set Stampin Up
Ink: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery,Sahara Sand(VersaMagic Chalk Ink), Wheat(Versa
Magic Chalk Ink)
Ribbon is from my stash (I think it might be American Crafts)
Aqua Painter

Stampin Up Bigz Beautiful Butterflies Die

2009-06-30T10:41:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Here is a card that I cased off of Splitcoast Stampers. This was the first time I used my Bigz Beautiful Butterflies Die from Stampin Up. I originally purchased this die so I could make my own ghost shapes using old cricut cartridge packages. I have been saving the packages because the hard plastic clamshell cases are perfect for using with alchol ink.

Anyway, here is the card. I think it turned out pretty nice and could be used for just about any occasion.

Recipe:

Stampin Up Bigz Beautiful Butterflies Die
Stampin UP Bigz Top Note Die
Parisian Breeze Designer Series Paper
Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Cardstock
Stampin Up Whisper White Cardstock
Stampin Up Inspired by Nature Stamp Set
Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Ink for the sentiment
Stampin Up Old Olive Ink for the grass
Clear Skittles from Michael's

Teacher Survival Kit

2009-06-26T15:49:00.000-06:00

I made this Teacher Survival Kit for my daughter's teacher to thank her for doing such a wonderful job this year. My daughter loved going shopping for all of the goodies to fill the tin. We filled the tin with post it notes, pens, hand sanitizer, gummy bears, stickers, and a pencil sharpener/eraser combo. I also included 4 handmade cards that I had made.

The tin is a lunchbox style white tin from provocraft that I picked up at Michael's. I covered the tin with paper from the DCWV grade school stack. I added red ribbon from Michael's. The words are cut from the Sesame Street Font cartridge and welded with Design Studio. The apple on the lid is from doodlecharms.

Salute to Summer. . . Penguin Style!

2009-06-26T15:31:00.001-06:00

Well today is the last day of the school year. My oldest daughter celebrated her last day at school with sports day. The whole family is excited that summer has finally arrived. The girls have already asked me a number of times if they can camp out in the backyard. Who knows, tonight may even be the night! My girls had a couple of birthday parties they were attending last week and I thought it would be fun to make some cute penguin birthday cards to help welcome the summer. Here are my four cards. They are super simple but oh so cute. I couldn't resist picking up these little guys when I was in my scrapbook store. The stamps are by imaginisce were only $1.50 each.

I used my Mini Monograms cartridge to cut the circles and scallops for the cards. The circles are cut at 2.5" with real dial size on. The scallops are cut at 3" with real dial size on.

I watercoloured the penguins using my ink pads and an aqua painter. The rest of the supplies were just scraps from my stash. I'm sorry I can't be more specific as to the name or lines of the patterned paper.

Using Templates to Create Quick Scrapbook Layouts!

2009-06-18T10:01:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned earlier digital templates are a fast and easy way to make fantastic looking scrapbook pages without all of the fuss. I have created a template that anyone can use with their storybook software. All you have to do is save this template on your computer and import it into your storybook creator (SBC)software.

The easiest way I have found to do this is to create a storybook called templates. In this storybook I store all of the templates I find online as well as the ones I have created for my personal use.

When I decide I want to use one of my templates then all I do is open the project I am working on. Select "import page" from my "home" ribbon in Storybook Creator (SBC). This brings up a navigation window. I navigate to my "templates" storybook and select the template I want to use. SBC then brings my chosen template into my current project. Once the template is in my current project I can change and modify it however I want.

The easiest way to modify your template is to select the various shapes on the page and "fill" them with desired colours and papers. To do this select the shape you want to change. Then go to your "papers" ribbon on the side of your screen. Find the paper you want. Right click on the paper. A drop down menu pops up. Select "fill selected shape". The paper you selected will be added to whatever shape you have selected. In a matter of a few clicks you can have an entire page completed!

Here is a picture of the template I started with as well as a completed scrapbook page. This layout was given to everyone on the "Chirper Challenge" Blog and I decided to create my own version using my storybook software.

If you are interested I have put it up on 4shared.com. Please follow this link all I ask is you leave a comment. I love to find out who has benefited from my blog. I would also love to see your finished product.

Recipe:
All of the papers were from the CM Best Buds Digital Quick Kit
The stitching was from CM Pets Digital Quick Kit
Font: Scrap Brother

New Digital Add Ons!

2009-06-18T07:52:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

I just added to my digital scrapbooking collection and tried out the new papers and embellies. I purchased the Cottage Garden collection through Creative Memories as well as the predesigned pages. I like using the predesigned pages as a starting point for my creations. I also like using them as templates and changing the papers and the colour schemes to meet my needs. Here are a few pages I did of my daughter. They were both predesigned pages that I added my pictures and journaling to. Very easy and very fast. If you are short on time or in a creative rut then templates are a fantastic place to start.

More fun with Alcohol Inks

2009-05-26T16:43:00.001-06:00

I learned a very cool technique recently and have been having lots of fun experimenting. I created a card using Heidi Swapp ghost shapes (Thick clear plastic that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes), alcohol inks, and archival black dye ink.

First I inked up my butterfly (Heidi Swapp XL Ghost Shape) with cranberry and butterscotch alchol inks. I set it aside for a few seconds to dry. Then I inked up a flourish stamp with black archival dye ink (you have to use archival ink or this won't work). I stamped my flourish onto my butterfly and then immediately wiped the black archival ink off with paper towel. Wherever the archival ink was, it picked up the alcohol ink and left a clear impression of the flourish stamp. The rest of the butterfly was left untouched because the alcohol inks were already dry and set to the plastic. To enhance the image I outlined it with stickles. Pretty cool eh?!

I cut out my sentiment using the Cuttin Up cartridge with the serif function. The swirl behind the butterfly was cut using Graphically Speaking. I added some stickles to the cuts for added sparkle and to bring out the stickles on the butterfly.

The white background paper was embossed with the swiss dots cuttlebug folder.

I highly recommend this technique it is fun, easy, and very eye catching. Just be sure to use archival ink and a fat solid image for the best results.