Saturday, March 30, 2013

Scrap That! April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop


Welcome to the ScrapThat! 
April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop!! 

We are so excited to share the details about our newest kit featuring brand new papers
created by Donna Salazar for GCD Studios.

 The Queen of Girlie Grunge herself, Donna Salazar, will also be joining our hop!
When you get to her blog, scroll down and you will see a familiar face - our own fabulously talented DT Leader, Tracey S., is one of 5 artists chosen to be on the 2013 Donna Salazar Guest Design Team! We are so proud of her !!

We are so thrilled to welcome the beautiful and creative artist
Lynn Shokoples
as our April Guest Designer!!!


Hi everyone! My name is Lynn Shokoples and I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  I've also been blessed to join the Bo Bunny and Quick Quotes design teams this year. When I'm not scrapbooking I'm a wife, and a mom to two wonderful young adults, Nicole who's 25 and Ryan who is 20 and my new son-in-law Christopher. I'm so thrilled and honored to be a Guest Designer this month with such a group of talented artists here at ScrapThat. I love to blog and love to meet fellow scrappers, so please feel free to stop by anytime. 

Stop by and visit Lynn's blog at http://scrappyhappymom.blogspot.ca/

Now, without further ado,
 introducing our fabulous April Kit, "Within Nature"

Featuring the GCD/Donna Salazar collection, "Natural Beauty." Opening the box to this kit feels like opening your closet and finding your most favorite, comfortable clothes packed with a little bling! The colors are rich and vintage and range from elegant pale neutrals to muted pinks, to deep denim blues and sages. These are paired with textured blooms from Prima, Petaloo and more!

Take a look:

Main Kit

Embellishment Add-On

Flower Add-on
Paper Add-on

More details on this  Collection can be seen here: ScrapThat! Store 
We are currently accepting new
Kit Club Members.
For more information,
complete the form on the link below:
New Subscriber 

Look at the beautiful sketch Amarilys has created for April:
\
See details about the challenge here: Sketch Challenges
Be sure to also check out the details of our monthly DT challenge
 hosted in April by Tracey S. here: DT Challenge
Everyone is welcome to participate.
All entries for both challenges are due by April 24th
Something new! All winners of our challenges, including Layout of the Week, will be eligible to receive 10% off any 2012 Kits-includes Add-ons!
______

Here is the layout I created based on Amy's sketch this month:
"Bobby"  Main kit only, personal stash
This was such a fun kit to use and so perfect for scrapping some new outdoor photos of the grandkids. Here I've used the Main kit only along with a couple of things from my stash (a crochet doily, Dusty Attic chippy) I adore this photo of little Bobby running away from the photographer (Kristen Alexander) and thought these papers were a wonderful backdrop along with the natural elements in the kit. I've created a crackle background using a Prima stencil, treated the Fabscraps and Dusty Attic chipboard, and created this fun burlap and cardstock banner. I'll be presenting a tutorial on how I created it in mid-April. 

Next, a sweet girly page! 
"Lots of Reasons to Smile"  Mk, EAO, FAO
You can see that I love scrapping my grandkids! Their sweet smiles just get me every time! This was actually the first project that I created with the kit and had a blast! I've used some Donna Salazar stamps that I already had on hand. I thought that her Twiggy stamp went perfectly with the "Twig" paper in the collection, so I enhanced the bottom border with some Twiggy stamping! I also used Donna's Sunflower stamp (from the Grandma's Garden collection) in the upper corner. Lots of distressing and punch work were done before completing the page with blooms, Maya Road trinkets and Prima corded hearts from the kit. (The peach ribbon is from my personal stash as are the pink pearls.) The alphas in this kit are part of the Natural Beauty collection and they are an all-time fave of mine now! Perfect size, shape and have a neat script on them. I'll be back with more details on how I completed this page in about 10 days, so be sure and check back! 

Last but not least ... 
"Fun" MK, FAO, EAO
Have you ever had a layout that practically scrapped itself? Well, this one sure did for me! I started with some modeling paste and a Donna Downey Poppies stencil ... although I only used a portion of it in the end. I've saved the remainder for another project! Then I layered, did a bit of punch work and focused on a great embellishment cluster with my Petaloo Darjeeling blooms intertwined with the Prima Vine and Prima corded hearts. I loved how the Maya Road metal trinkets looked on the denim paper .. so authentique! A little fussy cutting, a few more layers and I called this one done! Not one single bit of distressing except for inking, can you believe that? And if my grandson's Dad asks, that is peach, not pink, right? LOL Works for me!  
__________

All righty! Here are a few more Blog Hop details: 
Our Blog Hop features 11 fabulous hop sites including our Design Team blogs. 
We are so excited to show you our  creations! 

Two Prizes are up for grabs this month.
Donna Salazar will be drawing a winner from hoppers who comment on her blog for this amazing prize package including some of her new products from the Family Jeans collection and one of her brand new stencils.
 Be sure to check out her blog for additional details.

Next up is our SPECTACULAR April Blog Hop Prize
is a ScrapThat!  Main Kit,"Serendipity".
This kit is chock FULL of fabulous scrapbooking products including the amazing Sweet Nothings Collection from Kaiser Craft. With rich warm colors, and rustic embellishments like wooden gates and bronze cord, this kit lends itself beautifully to heritage layouts layouts.  We have included a white pen for you to use when creating a faux stitching effect.
thumbnail_April 2012 Serindipity Kit 021.jpg
To qualify for this month's FABULOUS Prize, 
you must complete the following:
* Visit each blog listed on the hop to see what each designer has created using this month's kit and sketch(comments are very much appreciated).
* Each designer's blog hop post will feature a word to make up a secret sentence,
collect these words along the way.
* You must become a FOLLOWER of each blog along the way 
and LIKE us on our Facebook Page!
* Post the ScrapThat! Blinkie on your blog.
* For your last stop on our Blog Hop return here to the ScrapThat! Chat Blog.
Leave a comment letting us know you have
completed the hop.
(Please do NOT include the secret sentence in your comments.)
*Email the secret sentence to Tracey Sabella:tracey@scrapthat.ca
The Blog Hop ends Sunday, March 31 at Midnight EST 
The prize MUST be claimed within 3 days of the forum announcement which will also be made on the ScrapThat! Blog.
~ If left unclaimed a NEW winner will be chosen ~
**Winner will pay actual shipping costs for sending the kit from Canada.**
Shipping costs will be invoiced via PayPal unless you are a kit member,
 then your prize will be shipped with your monthly kit.
Prizes won during the month will be mailed out the first week of the following month.
Due to Customs clearance, International mailings sometimes take 30-75 days to receive.
______

Finally:
My secret word is: all 

Now hop on over to 
Laura Gilhully

Thanks for coming by! 

More Kiwi Lane ...

Happy Saturday, crafters! If you are here for the Scrap That! Blog hop, please scroll down HERE.


Sandi here today with another card creation featuring the Kiwi Lane templates along with some new Quick Quotes Chalking Inks colors and a Quick Quotes Bundle sentiment.




This card went together in record time ..  and I am so in love with it's clean but elegant lines. I've used the Kiwi Lane Designs Paisley Place mini, 1B to achieve the curved lines. So much more dramatic than s simple straight one!

My papers are a mix of the Cracklin' Rose Collection using both the 6x6 papers as well as the 12x12.
I elevated the upper portion of my card using some corrugated cardboard instead of foam tape. I felt it to be a bit more stabilized. My sentiment at the bottom is from the Quick Quotes Sentiment Bundle and is also elevated for dimension.

My edges were chalked with 2 of the new PowderPuff Chalking Inks ...  Coal Miner and Dusty Rose. So pretty! Oh, do I ever love my PowderPuffs!!

I finished this one up with a jute bow glued under a vintage Prima flower as well as a simple butterfly cut using my Martha Stewart punch.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

Products used:
Cracklin' Rose Collection, 6x6 and 12x12
Quick Quotes Sentiment Bundle 
PowderPuff Chalking Inks, Coal Miner and Dusty Rose

Misc:
ATG
Glossy Accents
Beacon's Fabri-tac
Martha Stewart classic Butterfly punch
Prima, Be Charmed Townsend
Jute
misc pearl





Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Scrap That! April Kit Sneak Peeks!

Oh my goodness! It is almost Reveal Day at Scrap That! Kit Club and I can't wait! 

The Design Team has been having so much FUN with the April Kit "Within Nature."  It is simply amazing ... and one that you will not want to miss!  While I wish we could share the whole thing with you today, a few tantalizing sneaks will have to suffice for now. 


Stay tuned for our Blog Hop and April Kit reveal on Friday, March 29th, 6:30 AM EST. 
 You will want to visit all the designer's blogs to see their fabulous projects with this month's kit ...

 and for a chance to win our Grand Prize this month, the "Serendipity" Main Kit. Doesn't this look gorgeous?
thumbnail_April 2012 Serindipity Kit 021.jpg

All right! Time for me to get back to work and put some finishing touches on those projects!  I'll leave you with a few of my sneaks .... 




See you Friday! 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I'm Guest Designing ...


I am so thrilled today to share that I will be Guest Designing for Inkido (Papercraft Scandinavia) this year! 

Papercraft Scandinavia is a manufacturer that designs and makes unique materials for scrapbooking, cardmaking and other crafs. They design stamps, patterned papers, lace, flowers and much more in the romantic vintage style. I can attest to how beautiful they are and so perfect for my style. 

I'd love to share with you a couple of projects featuring the beautiful papers from Inkido. First, a layout of my granddaughter. I did some layering and distressing and added in a few paper doiles made from white card stock using my Cheery Lynn French Pastry die. I've also added a Prima gate stencil using a bit of modeling paste. Then I set about making a bouquet of florals befitting these gorgeous papers - mostly Prima but with a few Kaisercraft blooms added in. I fussy cut some tiny butterflies and added them as well along with a stick pin and some vintage seam binding from my stash.  



Next I did a sweet card using the same papers. 



Here I've added some Prima, a doily and some vintage seam binding. 

Inkido Products used:
Beautiful Memories:
Beige Anemon
Pink Memories
Butterfly Borders

 You can view more of these truly amazing products at
Thank you for your visit!


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Sandi's March Scrap That! kit creations!

I'm up today on the Scrap That! Chat Blog! I know you've seen these but I have some close-ups today with a bit more detail ..

Hello, everybody! Sandi here today to share my March kit creations using the yummy Meg's Garden Spring Paisley collection! 

"Cherish"
Main kit only, personal stash

Project #1 is called "Cherish" and features a sweet new photo of one of the dgd's. I loved, loved, loved this peachy-pink paper from Meg's Garden Spring Paisley collection as well as the red and brown striped pattern paper that is peeking from underneath.  Everything featured here is from the Main kit only except for the white crochet doily and the Dusty Attic lacing tash which are from my personal stash.

 I did a bit of random molding paste along with my Crafter's Workshop "Tile Texture" template. Next I split my paper and added the lacing tash which was treated with white Gesso as well as  a Salmon paint dabber. Then I did some lacing with the seam binding from the kit. My Dusty Attic Butterfly Flourish was treated in much the same way but then I hit it with my Quick Quotes  Maraschino Cherry PowderPuff Chalking Ink. Wow! What an incredible impact it made. You will notice that I cut my flourish, painted it green and added it to my flower cluster. 

 Lots of hand made flowers here (Bitty Blossoms) as well as a sweet paper rosette (Tim Holtz) along with a ton of fussy cutting! The little sweetie in the photo is my dgd MA and the  the photo was taken by Kristin Alexander. 



Just a couple of close-ups. 

Next ... 

"Ready, Set, Go! "
Using Amarylis's awesome sketch, MK, FAO, EAO, personal stash

I really struggled with how to make my pages unique from what the rest of the DT might do, especially since my PAO didn't make it to my house this time around. Amy's sketch has lots of wonderful layering, so I had to get the layers in any way I could. Thank goodness for the card stock that Kaitlyn always puts in the kits! They can be used for so many things but this month I've used them as my base. Haven't done that in years!! 

I did some random punching with a couple of different Martha Stewart punches (Wild Flowers, Swirling Lace) and then set to work using my Crafter's Workshop "Cherry Blossoms" template. It worked perfectly for this sketch and added just the soft background that I wanted. 

You'll notice lots of fussy cutting once again .. which also led to my paper shortage! I think it was a blessing in disguise though, because I had to get creative! Some cheesecloth and the filmstrip serve to add more layers. You can just barely make out my title on the right because I hit it with the chalk inks. I've used the brown trim in the kit to "lasso" my photo .. thought that was kind of fun! And that said photo is of my dgd and taken by Kristin Alexander. 

I adored the flowers that came in this month's kit and think I used every single one, including all my add-ons! And don't you love the sweet Prima wood clip? I love Kaisercraft Pearls .. my fave .. and have scattered them all about the page. 




Just a few close-ups. 


Next ... 

"Olivia"
MK, FAO, EAO, personal stash

This time I've used my Crafter's Workshop "Ledger" template to work a little magic! Really love that one!!  I went a little crazy with more fussy cutting and tons of flowers! Love these Meg's Garden papers and sure hope to work with them again soon!

 I went simple on my chippy frame and covered it in Gesso, then inked the edges and rubbed them with Gold Rub and Buff. My lamp post is a Fabscraps chippy from my stash and is simply covered with white Gesso and light coat of chalk ink on the edges. Oops, almost forgot my Dusty Attic butterfly. Here I've wet it so that I could separate the layers of the wings. Then covered them with more Gesso and Quick Quotes PowderPuff chalk ink in Bloody Mary.  I also added red microbeads to the body for more dimension. 

 Lastly, I finished by tucking in random pieces of cheesecloth which is included in the kit. I've also tucked in a few wooden gears in amongst my flowers and used a cute Prima wood clip on my photo. Photo is of my sweet granddaughter-in-law. 



Close-ups .. 




MK, FAO, EAO, personal stash
Lastly, just a simple card that I squeezed out from my scraps! Cards always come in handy!

That's it for me today! Thanks for coming by! 


Monday, March 18, 2013

New Quick Quotes Inks and Bundles!



This month at Quick Quotes we are featuring the new PowderPuff chalking inks (Available 3/20) as well as the great Quick Quotes Bundles. Along with that we are doing a cross promotion with Kiwi Lane Designs. They offer some amazing templates to make scrapping and card-making just a tad easier and more fun! 

I've used the Kiwi Lane Paisley Place mini border, 3A to create the grey panel in the center of my card. So quick and easy! Since I also wanted to use on the new PowderPuff Chalking Inks, I chose the new Red Hot PowderPuff Chalking Ink as well as Coal Miner PowderPuff Chalking Ink to add a bit of definition to all my edges.

My papers are all from the February Club Q .. such great, classy colors! Using a Quick Quote makes card making so much easier because your sentiments are all ready for use .. no more looking for just the right stamp! I've used one from the new Sentiments Quick Quote Bundle. Then I merely added some ribbon, a flower, a few Liquid Pearls drops and I was done.

 I'm all ready with a card for someone's special day! 

Items used:
Coal Miner PowderPuff Chalking Ink
Red Hot PowderPuff Chalking Ink

Misc:
ATG
Glossy Accents
Misc Ribbon 
Prima, Bel Canto, red flower
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares


Sunday, March 17, 2013

New sketch!

New sketch is up at Stuck on U Sketches   .. my latest creation inspired by a layout from the awesome Julie Winks.  Hop on over and see what the DT has done this time! You won't want to miss this! 


Friday, March 8, 2013

Scrap That! Fussy cutting tutorial


Happy Friday, everyone! Sandi here today to share a few fussy cutting tips with you! The Meg's Garden papers in the March Scrap That! kit are so perfect for cutting out specific images and using them on your designs almost like embellishments! 

Any time I have papers such as these, the first thing I do is to start cutting! Why? Because if I hesitate, then I might be tempted to use the papers "as is" and loose the unique opportunities that fussy cut images provide. So, dive in! You won't regret it. 

If you have never done any cut work, below are some tips. (I only have a few photos as it is hard to photograph with scissors in one hand and paper in the other. Right?) 


Select a section of the paper that has some images that look promising to use as embellishments or borders. I like to cut a larger section out before I actually start my fussy (or detail) cutting. 



Having the right tools is key to good results. You will want a pair of small, detail scissors such as these pictured above or Cutter Bee Precision-cut scissors and/or a good, sharp craft knife. I use both. The craft knife works great for very fine detail work and for getting "into" spaces within the design. 



Then, start cutting around the designs you wish to use, in this case the flowers and leaves. You will get the best results by holding the scissors steady but moving the paper as you cut, rather than the other way around. You'll get more fluid edges rather than ragged. 



In this case I used a large section of flowers although I could have cut it up in smaller increments if I had wanted. When I've finished cutting, I like to ink my edges for definition. This also helps to cover any smallish detail or white space that you've missed. 

I thought it might be helpful for you to see a video of someone doing some fussy cutting. Since I am not equipped for doing videos myself, I've selected one that I liked by Janine Koczwara.  She does such beautiful work, I hope you'll take time to watch. 

Here is the link: 


Here is how I used that piece:


and another example:

See how open the leaves are at the top? I used the craft knife for this area. 

Thanks for coming by today! 

~ Sandi ~ 


Friday, March 1, 2013

Stuck on U Sketches//Whimsical Designs Blog Hop

Hello, hoppers! I am so excited to be the first link from Stuck on U Sketches for the wonderful weekend hop we are holding in conjunction with Whimsical Designs! Should be loads of fun! We'll be hopping through midnight March 3rd, so there's plenty of time to take it all in! 

This is also my challenge post for the Quick Quotes Blog. So, hang on to your hat!

Today I'm sharing a project created with the awesome new Stowaway Collection (available 3/20)  from Quick Quotes. You are sure to love these papers, die cuts and stickers! The blues and browns of this range are so versatile and lend themselves to many themes, not just travel. 

 I decided to do a "boy" page because I had this great new photo of one of the grandsons printed and ready to be scrapped.  "Boy/guy" pages are hard for me, so this was a chance to stretch myself. 


I've used the sketch I created for Stuck on U Sketches and I hope that you'll have a chance to use it too! Sketches really take the guess work out of designing once you get comfortable with them. 

Here's a copy of that sketch:



I decided to go with lots of banner strips as layers, distressing of all my edges and some misting using my Prima Gears and Dylusions ink spray. And in lieu of my usual mass of flowers, I made a rosette and adorned it with a single flower atop a simple bow. Then I tucked some random cheesecloth here and there.

My vellum quote is from the Itty Bitty Box (Babies, Kids, Family) and is mounted with offset brads on a small piece of the brown paper with tiny polka dots .. love that paper! Above it I've used some random embellishments from my stash. Lastly, I added my title (from the Stowaway chipboard Die Cuts) at the bottom using some foam squares for dimension.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my page even though it's a bit outside my "design box." I definitely can't wait to dig into these yummy papers and create something else!

I wanted to also take this opportunity to tell you that I am hosting the Quick Quotes Friday Challenge this month and the Challenge is to make a Rosette and use it on a LO, card, ATC or altered project. More details are over on the Quick Quotes Blog

Items used:
Stowaway collection, 12x12 papers, Die Cut Chipboard

Misc:
Dylusions Ink Spray, Melted Chocolate
Prima Mask, Gears
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares
Petaloo Darjeling Dahlia
Misc twine
Distrezz-it-all
Kaisercraft Peals, chocolate
ATG
Glossy Accents
-------
And just so you know, we have two sponsors for this weekend's hop:
1. Patsy-Prairie Bird Boutique: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrairieBirdBoutique
Winner will recieve their choice of 1 pack of Shabby Crinkle Ribbon
2. Sonia Kertznus: http://www.shopskdigis.com
Winner will reieve a $6.00 Voucher to Sonias store
Thanks, ladies!
Alrighty! Now it's time for you to hop on over to Leah's Blog!  
Thanks for coming by!