Scrapnextras

An Eyelet Challenge

Happy Thursday!  Thursday is the Ways to Use it Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers, and this week we were to find ways to use eyelets.  I have to tell you just finding my stash of eyelets was like taking a walk down memory lane...man oh man do I have alot of eyelets!  I have flower eyelets, butterfly eyelets, balloon eyelets, snowflake eyelets, funky circle eyelets and even special Christmas and Halloween eyelets, and a whole lot more!  I managed to use three today, so at this pace, I think you could say I have a lifetime supply on hand!

As I started this card, I really had no idea in mind.  I knew I wanted to give Spotlighting with Wheels another shot, and I chose the Basic's Wheel, which had flowers, so I was pretty sure I work it with today's challenge.  Beyond that...nothing.  I'm pretty happy the way it turned out, but bringing it all together was a bit of a challenge in itself.

I started by wheeling my images twice in Ancient Page Coal Black on Whisper White, just as in the tutorial, then, I punched out three circles from one and coloured them in with my markers and aqua painter.  Once coloured I mounted them on circles of Always Artichoke.  I selected flower shaped eyelets, and used two sizes to work with the different sized flowers. Then I decided that a rhinestone brad would really set them off, so I put them in through the eyelets, and I liked the effect, so I mounted it on Rose Red card stock, and then on So Saffron.  I scalloped the edge of the So Saffron with my corner rounder, then I pierced each scallop.

The sentiment is from Verve Visual's "Happy Thoughts" set.  I really like this set; it has two different fonts for "Happy", and then you pick the rest of the sentiment.  I mounted the cursive "Happy" and "Birthday" on the acrylic block at the same time, which really helps making sure it's lined up nicely on the card.  I stamped it in Versamark centering it across the card, then embossed it in white.

The card still needed something, so I coloured one of the large flowers on my scrap, and cut it out.  I added a flower eyelet and brad, then popped it up on dimensionals beside the sentiment.  I still felt it wasn't finished, so I did a short row of piercing after the sentiment.  It didn't have the impact I wanted so I filled in the holes with my white gel pen. Then I tried to do the same where I pierced the scallops, but the holes didn't "fill", but I'm OK with that.  I looked at the card a bit longer, and decided it would be one I was happy to send, so I called it done!

One day closer.  I am looking forward to the weekend.   I hope to make it  to Calgary to spend some time with my Mom.  I hope you have some plans to look forward to this weekend...even if it's just making some time to stamp!  Thanks for dropping by!  I always love it when you do.

 

Something Old Something New

I know from blog surfing that it is not spring everywhere!  I am hearing about snow and cold, ice storms and school shutdowns, but up here in my neck of Canada, where typically our winters are long, we are having wonderful spring like weather.  So I couldn't help but pull together these fun spring like colours and work with my latest favorite..."A Little Bit of Happiness".

When I chose to work with the flutterbys in this particular stamp, I decided my colours would be Orchid Opulence, Barely Banana and Sage Shadow.  I wanted to use Barely Banana because I always choose So Saffron these days, so I was feeling a bit guilty.  Sage Shadow is a colour I have recently taken into my fold, mostly from working with the Wintergreen designer papers that retired in December.  And I have always like Orchid Opulence, but rarely use purples. I had to dig deep to find any designer papers in these colours.  I found the yellow polka dots from the Spring Showers collection that retired this July, and the Orchid print is Vellum from a designer pack that retired even earlier.  So this card also counts for my Use it or Lose it category!

The layout is based on Sketch Challenge 166, and the base is Sage Shadow, layered with the Spring Showers yellow polka dot print.  The middle band is Orchid Opulence and it has the vellum print layered on it.  The vertical strip is Orchid Opulence, Barely Banana and the ribbon is from the District Ribbon originals pack. 

I stamped the image in Basic Black on 2 strips of Very Vanilla, and coloured them in with markers.  I also did a quick watercolour wash using my Barely Banana marker and aqua painter inside each box.  I cut out three of the images and popped them up on dimensionals, offset just a tiny bit to emphasize the three dimensional effect.  The Very Vanilla piece is attached to the Orchid Opulence layer with dimensionals, then layered again on Sage Shadow.  Then it it adhered to the card with dimensionals...this is one dimensional card!

Finally, I pulled out some of the primas I have been hoarding, and layered a purple on the yellow, and secured it to the card with a fancy brad from Dollarama...they have too much cool stuff!  The card came together pretty easy.

You will see more of this set!  Firstly, it's my creative process to "work" with a set, and create a sampler.  I also find that as I create, ideas come bounding forth, and I like to put them in action before I forget them.  This is also a very fun set, and easy to work with. 

Well, that's three posts for me today!  I hope I haven't bored you to tears. I was just so happy to get a challenge done this week I had to share.  Have a wonderful evening. 

Combining Challenges

Now here is a card that seemed to take a full day to create!  I started this morning, but my kids are off school today, so there is no such thing as uninterrupted time!  Plus my husband was due home from his 21 day shift, so I needed to do a bit of cleaning which I find is next to impossible with both girls home.  The worst of it is that the idea was fully there in my head, and I kept trying to sneak back to it, but I didn't get more than 10 minutes at any one sitting, and that's not even enough time for this slow stamper to refocus.  I know, you're saying, cry me a river LOL!  Finally after supper, I got a chance to put it all together, and I'm lovin' it!

This is a double challenge card again.  I combined this week's Sketch Challenge with the Way's to Use it Challenge.  I always like Julia's Ways to Use it challenge, because she often has me digging through my stash to use something I have had forever, use it or lose it!  Not so today...we were to use Polka Dots, I certainly don't need to dig to find polka dots.  So what else could use before I lose it?  I kept looking at this bottle of Prima Flowers I picked up on clearance...never say clearance, I'd be rich if not for that word!!!  I thought the colours were so pretty, and yet I hadn't used one. I tend to favour my Pretties kit, because I can dye them any colour I want.  But that got me going on my colours, and I would never have put them together had it not been for the primas!  My layout was sketch 162 and I needed to use polka dots.  See what I mean?  This was all done for me, I couldn't miss, but I couldn't get any time!

I started with a base of Whisper White, 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".  I layered the white polka dot print from the Certainly Celery Prints designer paper pack on the white.  The other two panels in the sketch are Orchid Opulence...betcha never seen it look so good, and Pumpkin Pie.  I chose "A Little Birdie Told Me" for this card, and I stamped the birdie in Basic Black on Whisper white, and stamped the sentiments in opposite corners.  I took the polka dot stamp from "Polka Dots and Paisley" and stamped it in Pumpkin Pie on Pumpkin Pie card stock, then I stamped the birdie in Basic Black on the polka dots and cut out his body.  I adhered the body, (dd says it looks like a fish without the beak, and I tend to agree), to the bird I stamped on Whisper White, and coloured his beak yellow.  His little party hat was stamped in black and coloured in the three main colours and cut out.  I used a tiny pom pom for the top of his hat.  The pom pom was originally white, but I rolled it on the Orchid Opulence stamp pad to dye it!

Finally my primas!  I love flowers and these are so beautiful!  Each flower is attached to the image panel with a circle rhinestone brad.  Then I adhered the panel to the card with dimensionals, and there you have it!

I just want to forewarn you that dh is taking the family to West Edmonton Mall for the weekend.  It's rather impromptu, but you won't here me arguing!  However, it means that I won't have a Fast and Fabulous project for you tomorrow.  So sorry.  Oh, you thought I made them up ahead of schedule??  Nope!  They're fast and fabulous; I usually do them Friday morning.  But I'm sure you will survive and I'm sure I will shop! 

Seriously, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I'll see you soon!   

Two Challenges, one card

Did you see Monday's Technique Lovers Challenge? While I didn't have time to play, I certainly filed it for future consideration, and the future is here!  The sketch challenge was perfect to include the Dahlia, so I combined the two challenges in one.

  I don't know about you, but I have learned that when I am trying something for the first time, I avoid using my "good stuff".  My hostess club members will remember a project I had cut and scored and had ready to go based on my calculations, that didn't work! All that paper was wasted.  So when I decided to try the Dahlia fold (you can see the instructions here), I went digging into my paper stash and came up with Enchante, this paper came out in last year's winter mini, and I hardly used any of it.  Now the downside of using old stuff for a first attempt, is that when it does work the first time, you aren't going to set it aside!  Good thing this paper is gorgeous!

The colours in the paper are Pale Plum, Very Vanilla and Certainly Celery and I didn't stray at all from  that.  The card base is Certainly Celery and I layered a piece of the same paper I made the Dahlia on it.  The Dahlia is made with 8 circles and double sided designer paper is perfect for it.   I used my 1 3/8" circle punch and I was a little surprised at how big it was when it was all put together, but it still worked.  The centre is a build a brad and I used the small stamps from "Always" stamped in Pale Plum and Certainly Celery and punched them out for the centre. 

The inner panel is Very Vanilla layered on Pale Plum, and I used the sprig and small flower stamps from Always in Pale Plum and Certainly Celery to create the design.  I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black and tied the Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon on it to finish it off.

This was a fun and easy sketch to work with, and I just might do another one!

I hope you are having a wonderful day!   

Use it or Lose it! Heavy Metal Valentine and your opinion please!

I don't know how many of you might remember the Velveteen paper Stampin' Up! used to sell since they retired it in 2005.  However I still have some.  OK, I had a whole, new, complete unopened package of it, until today!  It's time to use it or lose it. 

Last Monday's Technique Lovers Challenge on Splitcoast was to make a pocket heart card.  Now, Mondays don't generally work for me to do challenges.  I am usually preparing my Technique Tuesday tutorials between laundry and washing floors.  However, this challenge was so awesome, my mind kept going back to it, and that was just as well, because when it came time to put this card together, I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

I made this card for my husband, and you'll have to forgive me for the glare on the picture, but it was the only one out of 25 or so, that really showed the true rich colour of the Velveteen paper...I think it looks like suede.  The rest of the pictures are OK, but the colour isn't right, and I lack the skills to correct them.

I started with a basic black base of  5 1/4" x 5 1 1/4".  Real Red was too red, so I dug into my stash of scrapbooking paper (more use it or lose it finds!)  and came up with a colour that was a closer match to layer on the black.  Then I took a piece of Basic Gray textured cardstock which is the front panel.  The ribbon qualifies for use it or lose it, since it is the old retired Cranberry...again a closer, almost exact match to the red velveteen.   I added silver brads to the top and bottom of the ribbon and the bookplate is from the Pewter Hodge Podge kit, and I took my Zig Painty pen and coloured it silver.  I did the same thing with the metal photo corners...they were a dollar store purchase.  The heart template is found here, and I actually positioned my Coluzzle over the curves to get nice straight cuts.  I also had to cut out 2 half circles, since the paper isn't double sided, to cover the pocket portion.

The charm...isn't it gorgeous??  I picked that up at Walmart quite recently, so you can probably go out and find them.  They were only $1.47 for 10 charms, all as awesome and some more vintage than this!!  The charm is attached by a silver brad, and the bottom has a loop that I threaded silver cord (more use it or lose it stash!) to which the dog tag is hung from.

I got the dog tags in a Club Scrap kit, a couple of years ago.  I am no longer a member, but the little goodies they included with each kit was the best part!  I stamped "Always definition" from Define your life on the dog tag using Stazon, and the sentiment in the book plate is from "Small Script" a retired hostess set.  The letters are either my husband's name or our initials.  I guess he will decide which it will be LOL!  I remember that dilemma from our wedding and ended up putting L&A.  Trust me, being the redneck that he is, he would have thought it was just a big party for him had we done it the other way! I have no idea who makes the metal letters...perhaps Making Memories, but they are not in their original packaging, although I don't recall ever using them before today.

So how's that for using my stash?  Paper, ribbon, cord, dog tags, metal letters, I'm completely amazed with myself, and in love with my card!  I'm kind of glad this one isn't going too far!

I would also like your opinion on another topic. I had a request to post the pictures big, so you don't have to click on them; in other words you would rather scroll than click.  OK, I always think if one person speaks, there are many others in silent agreement.  I am totally OK with that.  So what do you think?  These pictures are bigger than those in the tutorial, but you can still click on them to get them a bit larger.   Or should I load them in all their largeness...that is about 500x500 pixels?  Please do let me know!  I do this all for your viewing pleasure.

See you soon!  I hope you're having a wonderful day!   

Use it or Lose it!

OK, I confess, I am a serious hoarder.  Can anyone else identify with that?  It started about 10 years ago when scrapbooking was just new, and the coolest items were hard to find, and on line shopping was new...I broke it in!  I was always afraid to use it, for fear of "using it up".  Between that and the fact that what is new is exciting, and so much more fun to use...although heaven forbid I use it up (gasp), I have amassed a stash of goodies that is slowly moving me out of my studio!  Oh my gosh, the things I have collected and hoarded in 10 years of scrapbooking and 5 years of being a Stampin' Up! demo...well, I'm sure you understand.  So this year, call it a resolution if you will, I plan to start using it.  To be even more specific, at least once a week, on a card, scrapbook page or other item I will attempt to revive some long forgotten item I have been squirreling away, and make it seem new again, if that's possible.   This is my first attempt.

The Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers was for a kickstand card.  To created this type of card I cut the paper for a top fold, that is lengthwise at 4 1/4", so that your base is 4 1/4" x 11".  To allow for the "kickstand", the part that extends below the card front, trim an 1 to 1 1/2"...I trimmed an inch off the front of the card.  I used Stampin' Up!'s retired Brushed Copper card stock as the base, and I pulled out this gorgeous designer paper, Copper Kiss, that retired 2 years ago.  Would you believe I had never cut into one of the 12 sheets in the paper pack?  It was opened, so I had to have taken them out to fondle and drool, but I had never used so much as an inch.  Yes, I have issues.  I cut a section of the Copper Kiss 4" x 5 1/4", and then trimmed one inch off that.  The 4" x 4 1/4" section I adhered to the front of the card, and the 1" section is adhered to the bottom of the inside. 

I stamped the sentiment from "All Holidays", in Versamark, and embossed it in Classy Copper...also retired.  I cut it out using my Nestabilities, and since I don't have the scalloped edge Nestability die, I scalloped the edges with my trusty corner rounder.  The flower is from the Pretties kit...aha, something new!!  I sprayed it with hairspray and then quickly before it dried, and the hairspray was still tacky, I brushed on some Super Copper Pearl Ex,(also retired!) and then sprayed it with hairspray again to set it.  The half back pearl is also from the Pretties kit, and it is attached to the flower with a glue dot, and the flower is attached to the card with a glue dot!

I hope you like it, and I look forward to sharing my creations as I root through my studio for lost treasures.  They won't all be Stampin' Up! (gasp), I confess to buying and hoarding all kinds of products through the years.  Yes, I realize, the road to recovery will be long. 

I hope you are having a wonderful day...make some time to stamp!

Recipe:  Stamp Set:  All Holidays Paper:  Brushed Copper, Copper Kiss DP, Whisper White  Ink: Versamark  Embellishments:  Pretties Kit  Accessories:  Classy Copper EP, Corner Rounder, Super Copper Pearl-Ex, hairspray, glue dots