Working with Mismatched Letters

I'm guessing that all of you have experienced the frustration of getting out the perfect alphabet stickers or chipboard letters, only to find that you're missing a crucial letter to spell your title.  It's so annoying!  Back in October, I shared six of my favorite solutions to the problem of a missing letter.  Today I'm going to share two more ideas:


Use Chalk:  Check out the letters in the title of my "First Bike" layout.  All but one of them are from the same sticker sheet (BasicGrey 'Cupcake').  Can you tell which letter is from a different set?

It's the T.  It's from BasicGrey 'Oh Baby Boy.'  It was a similar color, but definitely not close enough.  You can see it here:

I attached it to the 'Cupcake' sticker sheet, then used a q-tip and chalks to match the color of the T to the letters around it.  It took a bit of trial and error, but the final color was a perfect match!

Use Paint:  Check out the chipboard letters in my "Paint" layout.  They were all different colors and patterns that clashed with one another, my photos and my paper.  I painted the letters with a cream base coat, then used the back of the paintbrush to add dots of all different colors.  Now they not only go together, but they reinforce the theme of the layout.

I hope one of my eight suggestions helps you out the next time you're short one letter in your perfect title.

Handmade Smash Book

Smash books are all the rage right now.  Just what is a "Smash book"??  Basically it is a way to capture memories and life moments. The idea goes back to the roots of scrapbooking when people made simple memory books. They stuffed them full of memorabilia, photos and mementos.  Then scrapbooking took on it's own art form.  The Smash book idea is to go back to that quick and easier way of capturing what is going on in your life.  You can quickly add journaling and photos, stuff in special treasures and there you have it, life captured and "smashed" into your book!

K & Company has a line of Smash books and coordinating products that are irresistible! Or...........  you can make your own smash book! The smash book I'm sharing with you today was made using digital scrapbook kits and office supplies.  You can make your Smash book as simple or as involved as you like.  It's all up to you.

At my local office supply store, I found a bunch of stuff that would work great in a Smash book.  Envelopes of any kind are great. You can save things like ticket stubs in them, or use them to hold supplies to make smashing easier, like paper clips or pens.  Those notebook dividers that you had to buy for your child's school supplies, make great pages and pockets in a smash book.  

Avery has some really neat clear or colorful PocketTabs that make a great addition to a page. They can hold CD's, journal tags, or more items you want to save.  They are self adhesive, so they are easy to add to your pages, and they have a built in tab which can help you organize your book. They come in different sizes too!

Let me walk you through my book so you can see how simple it is to create a Smash book for your self. For my cover, I used blank chipboard. I adhered some papers and elements to the chipboard using Mod Podge. The ones I used happen to be from a digital kit, but you can use any papers that you like.  As I was applying coats of the Mod Podge, I added some glitter to the title strip of paper across the front.  I also bought the K & Company rubber band and pen from the Smash book collection. The pen is cool. It is a pen on one end and a glue stick on the other. This really helps make adding things to your book easy. I used my Crop-o-dile to punch holes and bound the book with book rings. This will allow me to add pages to my book if I want.

Pages 1 and 2, I've got plenty of room for journaling and photos. See that funky tape holding my journal tag on? That's also from the K & Company Smash book line.  So easy to just tape things down, and they have several tapes that are so decorative. You could use Washi-tape too!

Page 3 and 4, In between these pages, I inserted a pocket divider.  I covered it with coordinating paper to make it look pretty.

Page 3 and 4 (again) - just to show you that I covered the back of the pocket divider as well.

Page 5 and 6, I did a bit more decorating on these pages. I used digi kits that are all about journaling, Illuminated Journal 2 and Illuminated Journal 3 both by ViVa Artistry. These kits are perfect for this type of project. Since my Smash book will be a journal of sorts, I thought it was neat to create pages that look like a journal inside a journal! You can make your pages super decorated, or very simple, whatever fits your fancy!

Page 7 and 8, more pages that express a bit about me. Hopefully they will encourage me to actually write and express myself in this book!  After all, it's not just about creating the book, it's about making it useful!

Page 9 and 10.  Here you can see one of those PocketTabs at work.  Here is a closer look

I've tucked in a frame and journaling element that I plan to use. Then I can use the pocket to hold special keepsakes!

Page 11 and 12, more tape! There is also another pocket divider. Right now it's holding some elements that I'll add to these pages when I start recording stuff.

Page 13 and 14, here I've included a decorated clasp envelope ( you can see the front and back) between the pages.  This will be great for holding some special items secure. You could decorate some of those return mail envelopes that come in all that junk mail. What a great way to recycle!

My book is a work in progress. That's why I like using the book rings for the binding. I'll be adding pages to this book. As it grows, I can change the rings to larger ones if I need to.

You can make Smash books for themes, time periods, moods, any reason you like. Maybe create one for a friend to record her memories while she is pregnant, or one for the time while planning a wedding. Maybe create one to capture all the fun you'll have on a special trip.  What ever you choose, just remember to have fun with it, and make it yours!

No Die Cut Machine, No Problem

Hey all, it's Pam here!  Do you need some ideas for using your exacto knife or scissors to create some neat shapes without a die cut machine? I own the Making Memories Slice, but I don't own any of the big machines. I do use my Slice, but I really enjoy cutting things out and using my exacto knife. I find it kinda fun. I also enjoy finding new ways to use my exacto Knife!

1.  My first page features a template I created in PSE. First I will share with you the page before I go into how I went about doing this page. The buttons on the banner was inspired by page (I think?) is by Greta Hammond.

I created the banner and letters all in one in PSE... that was my first step. Here is a screen shot of the image. This was easy to make with the oval cookie cutter shape and the letter from font pharmacy (if you computer savvy give this a try but maybe with a different font or word).

After I created my template I flipped it horizontally and copied and pasted into The Print Shop. I do all of my printing  there, but I am sure you can use Photoshop to print as well.

The reason you are going to want to have it backwards is because you are going to print this on the REVERSE side of your paper or cardstock. Once you have printed simply cut this out using scissors or your exacto knife, flip it back over and you will have the finished banner word (with right orientation)! I also have  included the PS file if you would like to download the template and below is the JPEG version for traditional scrappers.

Here is link:

http://www.4shared.com/photo/KKsF4rjn/pc_cuteness_banner2.html

Here is JPEG image. The title is already flipped, so just print on REVERSE side of desired patterned paper, cut out letters/banner and flip:

2. The next two examples feature leaving space around the shapes I have cut out for a neat look. For this first page, I cut out a bunch or different sized hearts and traced on outline on my papers (leaving a little space). I cut out that traced border and put my hearts inside.  Check out my page. The ribbon w/hearts was inspired by an older page by Robyn Werlich! Love her stuff.

3. My third page also features the same technique as the second page, except I used two different pieces of papers as the border for my butterflies. I wanted the butterflies to look like they were flying up the page. Both pages feature no die cutting, just scissors and and exacto knife!

Do you have some cool ideas for cutting out shapes? Share them below :)

Collection Kit Versatility (Scrapping on a Budget)

Hey everyone, it's Pam again posting another topic about saving money or scrapping on a budget.  As I might have mentioned before I am on a scrap budget. It is a pretty tight one and I sometimes go to my local Hobby Lobby to find some great deals. I purchased For the Record collection kit by Echo Park while I was there with an idea to make my money stretch! Here is an image of what I purchased. You don't need to purchase this kit to play along, just purchase one based on something you think you can use for a variety of pages.

Echo Park - For The Record Collection - 12 x 12 Collection Kit
Scrapbook.com

I am going to share with you four layouts with different styles and different themes so you can see how I made my supplies stretch and I still have leftovers!!

I used the papers for a Renaissance Festival, my son, my dog, and a family photo. How cool is that?

1. My first page called Nine Years is about my son. This collection works well for boyish pages.  When picking out a kit or paper pack that you want to make last, chose something with some neutral papers like I used here. For instance, I have not used anything floral on this page which is fitting for this theme.  I used letters I cut out to make this even more boyish, plus the number paper strip works great for the age theme. (extras on page: Bazzill Kraft cardstock and My Minds Eye die cut)

 

2.  On my second page, I went with a different style and a different theme. This paper works really great for vintage or renaissance photos, which is what I did here.  Just creating this leaf theme enhances the whole feel earthy to the page. I used the same collection as above but this has a completely different look! The swirlie and flower elements really go great with my page style. (extras on page: Bazzill cardstock)

3. For my third page, I changed up the style again completely! I went with a more free flowing page but I used the same exact paper line. Adding rounded corners and swirles really changes up the mood of this page. I knew that I wanted a less graphic page and a more lovey dovey page. The floral tag really dressed up my page! (extras on page: Jenni Bowlin butterfly, American Crafts letter stickers and flower)

4.  My last page is of my new puppy, Ollie. Again, I used a completely different look and theme.  Adding the large flower gives this a slightly more soft look for my "new puppy" theme. I used three main colors from the kit that would make my photos pop even more.  The banner gives my page that playful look which also goes along with a puppy theme.  (extras on page: Bazzill Kraft cardstock, Epiphany Crafts buttons, American Crafts letters, and Jenni Bowlin butterfly)

So, now it's your turn.. next time you are shopping, consider buying a collection kit and creating lots of different looks and themes with your kit. You will save money and have fun in the process!

A Place to Hold Your Phone

Want a quick little craft that not only helps organize your desk/home, but also recycles and helps the environment?  I made this phone holder from an old gift card.  Here's a freebie tutorial for you so you can make one too!

Start with the gift card that you have. Make sure you don't have any value left on it, I wouldn't want you to miss out on any shopping bargains! In my case I'm using a store rewards card from a store that has gone out of business.  Makes me sad to see them go, but at least I've found a good use for the card.

Cut cardstock or patterned paper to fit the card. Gather elements that you want to use to decorate it. I used digital papers and elements. I printed out the background papers that I wanted to cover both sides of  the card with. I created the design block in Photoshop and printed that out. By making the design hybrid with digi elements, it also keeps it flat. Whatever you decorate this with, keep in mind that you want it to be as flat as possible.

Bend the card in to the shape for the holder.  I laid my metal ruler across the card as a straight edge and then bent the card up against the edge of the ruler.  I put the folds at about ½" from the one edge and about 1 ½" from that fold. Note that the folds go in opposite directions.

Apply adhesive and adhere the paper to each side of the card. Add your embellishment design and there you have it!  A new place to hold your phone!

And it works both vertically and horizontally. Well at least it does for my phone!  Hopefully for yours too.

What can you make with ONE sheet of paper?

Sometimes we only have only one sheet of paper left over from a collection or we need a quick card for a last-minute gift. Here is an idea... a pre-loaded gift card holder!

This cute little, self-standing, purse card was made using ONE sheet of double sided Pion Design papers from the "fairytale of Spring" collection including the handmade flower!

I cut a 12x12 inch sheet to have an 8x12 piece and reserved the left-over 4x12 piece for the card holder and to make the flower. I made my folds, cut the top curve and glued the gift holder (faux stitching explained below) with a stamped "happy birthday" saying. There is plenty of space below for a personal hand-written message too!

Next I glued a piece of ribbon to resemble a clutch style purse and added self-adhesive Velcro to keep closed. I also lightly scraped the paper edge with a distressing tool.

Then, I added faux stitching by paper piercing and connecting the holes with a fine scrapbooking marker. This is a nice alternative when you don't have a sewing machine handy or if you're like me... don't ever sew anything at all!

Lastly, with the scraps I made a lily flower using my tutorial and the reverse side of the paper (same as inside the card). Check out all of the paper flower tutorials in my the right sidebar of my personal blog at http://simplypaperandcreativity.blogspot.com. Any style of handmade flower would look nice on this card! Tip: make your flower first and let it dry while you are making the card.

Can you believe this easy card only took me about half an hour to make from start to finish?

Making the Most of Your Chipboard, Diecuts, and Bling

Sometimes we buy amazing embellies but before adhering onto your project, think about if this item can pull double duty and be used for something else first. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your expensive papers and embellies...

Lace-type die cut papers - before using them, mist these on their reverse side onto a plain piece of cardstock to be used as a cool background for another layout. You can also do this with plain dollar store doilies too... just slap a few in different sizes onto plain cardstock and mist away - the result is beautiful.

Die-cut shaped papers like large scallop circles and bracket frames - trace these onto cardboard to use as a template for another project.

Fine cut chipboard and cardstock die-cut pieces - you can use these as a mask before permanently adhering to another project. Gesso will easily prime and cover any misting on the chipboard so that you can start over to match it to your new project. You can also trace around things like branches and twigs to have homemade templates using as a stencil for later on.

Chipboard with adhesive backings - keep the backings to use as masks.

Bracket and scalloped shaped mini album chipboard - use these to repeat an outer edge design on plain cardstock and create your own unique paper die-cut shapes. The hand-cutting is worth every minute for the end result.

Bling transparency backing - keep these to use the indentations as a guide to make your own homemade bling. Simply poke holes where each gem was and then place over your project. Next, mark each hole with a pencil. Using dimensional paint, put paint dots on the pencil marks. I like this better than placing the paint directly on the transparency backing and cutting around... but that is another option.

I hope you find these little tips helpful to stretch your scrappy budget and add unique features to your projects!

Make Your Own Lace

I've got a quick technique to show you that will allow you to create your own paper lace for adorning your pages, cards and projects.  To do this we are going to be using border punches.

I used the straight punch (not the corner piece) from the Double Loops Punch Around the Page set by Martha Stewart Crafts.

 

Cut a 1" wide strip of paper.  Insert your paper strip into the punch and line up one edge with the 2nd mark to the left of the punch mechanism. 

 

Continue to punch across the strip, lining it up with the guide image on the punch as usual.

 

Now, turn the strip around and insert the uncut edge into the punch (see below). This time line up the same starting edge of the paper, but only with the mark on the opposite side of the punch. As shown in the image below.

Carefully punch across the strip making sure to line it up with the guide image on the punch as you go.

You'll end up with a lacey strip that you can use on your projects!  You could make multiple strips and lay them near each other to create a block of lace or to replicate the look of lace cut cardstock.

Here is a card I made with the lace strip in the example above.

I also tried this technique with the Doily Lace edge punch also by Martha Stewart Crafts. This is one of my favorite punches when I'm card making.

Since this punch doesn't have markings on the sides, I instead used a mark on the guide image for lining up the paper when I punched it. This punch design is also a little bit deeper than the loops punch, so I increased my paper strip width to 1.25".  Here is the result that I got.

I can't wait to create a card using this.  But for now I'm out of crafting time.  Give this technique a try with some of your edge punches. You may just create a new and unique embellishment for your projects!