It's banner time @ Practical Scrappers!

Today at Practical Scrappers, we're focusing on banners that are made from shapes other than triangles.  For the banner on my page, I punched some 1.5" circles, then cut them in half to make my banner flags.

This was based on a sketch from Sketchy Thursdays.  The "13" was cut with my Cricut and the Cindy Lou cartridge - love the font on this cartridge!

Check out all the projects posted for the challenge - you'll get lots of ideas for banners!  Next week, the challenge is to use black mats for your photos.  Hope you'll send in your project for the challenge!

Cardabilities - Sketch #48

Time for another sketch @ Cardabilities!  This week's sketch is great for using those border punches or decorative scissors.

 Here's my take on the sketch.  I used a Martha Stewart border punch, and my Cricut for the scalloped circles.  This denim blue, yellow and red combination is one of my favorite color schemes.

I hope you'll join us at Cardabilities - we'd love to see your card creations!

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday challenge

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge @ Frosted Designs was a recipe challenge.  The "ingredients" are three patterned papers, two buttons, and a one-word title.  I scrapped these photos of my nieces while they were using their new Nook and laptop that they got for Christmas.   When these two are focused on reading, Nintendo games, or computer games, they are totally oblivious to everything else.  Such powers of concentration!

PP:  BoBunny and Scenic Route
Licorice twine from The Twinery

Frosted Designs Card Sketch & Cards for Kids project

Here are a couple of cards I made for the Cards for Kids project going on at Faith Abigail Designs.  I used the latest card sketch from Frosted Designs for these two cards.

Elmo and Big Bird were cut with my Cricut and the Sesame Street Font cartridge.  Hope these cards can help some child smile on Valentine's Day!

For that special person who's turning 50!

Someone in my family is turning 50 this weekend!  Not to name any names....but it's my SISTER!   So of course I have to tease her a bit (and since I'm already over the 50 mark, there's no worry of retaliation).  I thought this "old buzzard" gift bag would be a perfect way to present her birthday present, and it also fits with the Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week of using a label shape on your project.

The buzzard is from the "Life's a Party" cartridge, cut at 5.5".  The branch was cut at 3.5" from Create a Critter, and the background shape is from "Elegant Edges", cut at 7.5".   The little talk bubble is from George, cut at 3", with a computer generated sentiment.  (and even though I might be a little mean about her turning 50, I did get her a nice birthday present, so I'm too awful a sister, LOL)

Cards for Kids Blog Hop

Have you heard about the Cards for Kid Blog Hop that's going on now?   You can read all about it at Faith Abigail's blog here.   Check out all the designer's projects along the blog hop, and then create your card (or cards), link them to Faith Abigail's blog and then mail them to her.  On February 10th, all the cards collected will be donated to a children's hospital to be distributed to the kids there, and hopefully help cheer up their hospital stay a little bit.  And of course there are some prizes to be had along the blog hop!   Hope you get a chance to join in and spread some love this Valentine's Day!

CAS-ual Friday's black & white challenge

This week's challenge @ CAS-ual Fridays is to create a card using only black & white.  This was tougher than I thought it would be, but after a couple of false starts, I ended up with this elegant wedding card.  I used some embossed black velvet paper with tiny white flecks, and then added some lace, ribbon, and the stamped sentiment.

My Mind's Eye sketch challenge

My Mind's Eye has a sketch challenge going on right now.  You can check it out here.http://mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/blog-challenge-31-layout.html  And to make it even nicer, Tammi @ My Scraps & More (my favorite online scrappy store) is offering a chance for a MME prize for anyone who enters the MME sketch challenge and also posts their page to the My Scrap & More blog and gallery.

I used papers and diecuts from the MME "Pretty Please" collection, with just a tiny fussy cut strip from the "Abbey Road" collection.   The alphas were cut from one of the papers, using my Cricut and the Simply Sweet cartridge.  Since the challenge has to do with a "new" theme, I used this photo of my DGD with her new hairdo.  Her hair was just long enough to make these two tiny pigtails.  I think she looks like Cindy Lou Who - so cute!

iCopic challenge #65

This week's challenge @ iCopic is to use some "unloved" Copic colors. My Copic collection isn't very large, so I don't have too many colors that aren't used, so ended up using a green (G21) that I think is a little dull, so it's not one of my favorite colors (although it works well when blended with other greens for leaves and foliage).

The frog is a Penny Black stamp, colored and shaded with G21, and with some polka dots added, too.  I colored the lily pad with E51 and then colored the heart with a red Spica glitter pen.   The sentiment was computer generated, and then I added an embossed and punched scallop border, some pen stitching and twine bow to complete the card. 

Practical Scrappers technique spotlight on clustering embellishments

Today at Practical Scrappers, we are showcasing cards and layouts with embellishment clusters. Embellishments that are grouped together make a much bigger impact on a layout, especially if your embellishments are small or delicate, like buttons and lace. Here are a couple of pages I've done with this technique. (Both layouts are based on sketches from Scrap-Friendzy).

On this page, I grouped a couple of chipboard flowers, some Prima flowers and pearls. For added emphasis, I ticked some scalloped fabric trim and some Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon under the pattern paper close to the embellishment cluster.

The embellishments on the second page include a scallop tissue circle, two kinds of chipboard leaves, and a button and twine. The journaling/title tag extends down into the embellishment grouping, to help pull everything together.

I hope you check out the examples over at Practical Scrappers today. We'd love it if you'd share your creations with us, too!

Snow day

This is a page I did for one of Scrap-Friendzy's sketch challenges this month, and also for the Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week.   I used some pearl paint on the snowflakes, the doily, and also on the blue dimensional letter stickers. Pattern paper is from Pink Paislee.

Special occasion board

I've been trying to find a way to keep track of birthdays, anniversarys and other special days.   Too often lately, I've missed someone's special day, and that's not a good feeling!   I saw the DT call for "Just A'Scrappin" and that inspired me to get out my Cricut and make this special occasion board.

The base is a piece of 12x12 cardstock (the backing from a paper pack) covered with kraft cardstock.  The pockets are cut from Tags, Bags, Boxes & More (the crayon box) cut at 3.875" high x 4.875" wide, and the tags are from the same cartridge, cut at 2" wide x 3.25" long.  I used Design Studio to cut two pockets and two tags at a time.   The pockets were cut from various double sided pattern paper, using themes or colors to fit the month.  The tags were all cut from white cardstock, then stamped with a journaling stamp in brown, inked around the edges with a color to coordinate with the pocket, and then tied with a ribbon.  The pocket labels were printed using Microsoft Word, with white text and adjusting the fill color of the text box to coordinate with the patterned paper pocket.   Now all I have to do is write names and birthdays/anniversarys/etc. on each month's tag and I have all my reminders together.  This will hang in my craft room, so it's handy to my card stash and cardmaking supplies.

This idea could be adapated to use regular envelopes, cut down slightly and covered with patterned paper, or you could use coin envelopes, or library pockets, or templates to make your own envelopes.   Now I just need to get out my calendar and transfer all the special dates to these tags....don't want to miss anyone's birthday this year!

Cardabilities Sketch #47 (and my first DT post!)

It's time for a new card sketch at Cardabilities.  This is a special one for me, because it's my first sketch as a new DT member!   

And here's my take on the sketch.  I'm going to a baby shower later this month, and I thought this sketch worked perfectly for a baby boy card. 

The scalloped circles were cut with my Cricut and the Elegant Edges cartridge.  The baby buggy is a digital stamp from PC Hug Club, colored with Copic markers (which also fits the new challenge @ iCopic).   I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the "eyelet" trim, and then added some ribbon, twine, and a little pearl.  

I hope you join us @ Cardabilities and link up your cards.  We'd love to see your work and you could become one of our featured designers!

Frosted Designs Card Sketch challenge

If you like scrapbooking and card challenges, check out the Frosted Designs blog for some great inspiration.  I made this card for their Card Sketch challenge #9.   I'm going to send it to my granddaughter this week - she loves to get mail!   The circle frame was cut with my Cricut and the George cartridge (4.5") and then Mickey was cut at 4" from the Mickey & Friends cartridge.

Layout Contest time @ Practical Scrappers!!!

 Love to scrapbook?   Want a chance to win some fabulous prizes?  Then check out the new layout contest that's just beginning at Practical Scrappers!

Time for the Layout Contest!

Last fall we hosted a massively successful card contest and now it is time to do the same but with a layout contest!  To get entered you don't even have to create something new!  All the details on that are below but first let's talk about prizes. We have over $100 worth of prizes lined up - look at this lineup of sponsors!  

Momenta

Creative Charms

The Paper Bakery

The Robin's Nest

The Sampler

Scrappin' Sports 

Boys Rule Kit Club

We will have all the details of the prizes finalized next week when we kick off the first round...but for now you know that you are getting a shot at some amazing Scrapping Prizes!

Here's the details: 

1) Each week we will narrow down the field thru audience voting, voting from the Practical Scrappers design team, or voting from the Administrative team.

2) The contest will have 6 rounds:  Those we have chosen for Round 1 will be announced on Saturday, January 14th and each continuing round will be announced on the following Saturday.

3) International entries are welcome, but we reserve the right to modify the prizes according to our sponsors needs should an international participant win.

4) To enter the contest mail us a picture of your favorite layout that you have created in the last two months to practicalscrapperslayouts@gmail.com - you must also include your name, blog address (if applicable), and state or country of residence.  We must receive an email with all three of these by midnight CST on Friday, January 13th!

Today @ Practical Scrappers, we're featuring some DT projects that showcase some of the top scrapbooking trends from 2011. It's always fund to see what new trends develop during a year, and see whether they stand the test of time and become classic techniques, or whether they disappear and are replaced by something new.

On my page, I used three of the hot items from last year - banners, bakers' twine, and rosettes. I've used premade rosettes before, but this was the first time I made my own. The trickiest part for me was holding the pleated circle together while adhering it to the base circle; I could've used a third hand, LOL!

Be sure to check out the Practical Scrappers blog to see what trends the other DT members chose for their projects. What was your favorite trend from 2011?  I think mine was bakers' twine - I love this stuff!

First layout of 2012!

After a six week "no scrapping" period due to the holidays and being sick, I finally got a page finished today - yay!   This was inspired by the My Scraps & More blog hop challenge and by Sketchabilities Sketch #62.  This is my granddaughter riding the ponies at the local pumpkin festival this Fall.   She LOVES riding ponies so everytime we go to a fair or festival with a pony ride, that's where we end up. 

Some January events to get you scrapping!

A couple of my favorite scrappy sites are offering some fun January events to get you inspired and scrapping in 2012.

Scrap-Friendzy is having a January Sketch-a-Thon, with layout and card sketches to inspire you.  A new sketch will be posted every day.   The last SF Sketch-a-Thon was wonderful, and I know this one will be a lot of fun!

My Scraps & More is focusing on resolutions this January.  They are starting things off with a blog hop this weekend (you have until Jan 8th to link up your page), and will offer challenges during the month, and an on-line crop. 

Both these sites have the friendliest message boards ever and tons of inspiration and ideas to share.  Hope you will join us this month!