Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Challenge thyself

                                                                                                                                                        If you're anything like me, you tend to stick to what you're comfortable with when designing your layouts. (I'm sensing a theme here, first journaling, now this.) It's certainly easy that way, but it's also easy to get in to a rut. It could be page size, photos, how simple or complex your pages are, technique, or what type of embellishments you use. We do what we know, what we're good at, what we like.

But sometimes, it's good to step out of our comfort zone and try a new style or technique. I challenged four WCSers to do just this, and here's what they came up with.

Keshet is not a stamper, but for this challenge she decided to break out the stamps and see what happened.

While I have a nice-sized stamp collection, I don't actually use my stamps very often! I tend to use premade embellishments more than ones I create myself, and I'm never sure how the stamping will actually turn out on my layout. I found with this layout that I can actually use stamps much more freely if I cut them out and place them on the layout--that way, if I don't get a perfect image the first time, I won't sweat it! To create the stamped clouds on this layout, I used Studio Calico stamps that coordinate with Fiskars cloud punches to stamp and then punch out my clouds. I love the homespun charm they add to my layout, and with no stress, either! I look forward to trying stamping again soon now that I'm learning how to make it work for me.

12x12 | Materials  patterned paper (KI Memories, My Mind's Eye, Cosmo Cricket)+ stickers (Sassafrass, American Crafts) + stars (Jenni Bowlin Studio) + buttons (My Mind's Eye) + stamps (Studio Calico) + ink (Ranger) + pen (Marvy)

Celeste challenged herself to try misting on a layout, something she'd been hesitant to do.

I have been resistant to misting ever since I had to do it for an article in Simple in 2008. I am not a fan or anything messy or imprecise, so you'll rarely find me using paint or ink. I've been known to say "I'm not a mister." I took the easy way out here too! I put my paper in a box and squirted just a couple times to get a little on the background paper. The box helped me with the mess and after I sprayed I rolled a paper towel roll across the cardstock to sop up the excess (less mess). This kept the paper from warping another one of my fears! I think the ink gave some texture and interest to my page - a bit of fun perhaps. I plan on trying it again - maybe next time with a mask.

 

For Donna, it's rub-ons. Yet she just couldn't resist these Studio Calico rub-ons.

I took Amy's Bits and Pieces challenge a couple of weeks back and I did so mainly for the rub-on part of the challenge. I don't really know why, but I just hardly ever use them. Because of that I hardly ever buy them anymore either - I have to be really tempted by the design. I tried to resist these days of the week rub-ons from Studio Calico but they got me in the end! Since a lot of what I tend to scrapbook is our everyday lives I figured I'd have a good chance of using them. For this page I just collected lots of my favorite shots from this spring so far. I hope I never forget these simple everyday moments. It's a huge part of why I scrapbook.

 

Amy tends to stick with flat embellishments on her pages, so for this layout, she challenged herself to use thick embellishments Bonus - she made them herself!

The "outside my box" thing I did was the flowers. I love this look but it makes me deeply anxious to have something that thick on a layout—so I've never done it before. What I discovered is that making the flowers was really fun. It let me dig into my stash of fabrics for patterns I couldn't have found in paper. Will I make something this thick again? Not often (because I'm still not certain how well it will fit into an album!) but yes, absolutely sometimes! (PS, I made the flower by cutting wavy strips of three different fabrics. Each strip is narrower than the next one. I sewed a gathering row of stitches---just the longest stitch your machine will do---gathered them, and then formed them into circles. I also broke out my glue gun to put it all together. This is also outside of my comfort zone, quite literally, as I always manage to burn myself when I use the glue gun. No exception with the flowers!)

12x12| Materials patterned paper (Echo Park) + alphabet stickers (Webster's Pages, American Crafts) + fabric scraps + buttons + fonts (LD Free Sprit, Missed Your Exit)

If you're feeling up to the challenge, try a supply or technique you've been avoiding on a layout. You might find a new go-to technique!

Use Your Stuff: the Tools Edition

Paper crimper. Lettering stencils. The thing with the long handle that was supposed to make it easy to punch through thick cardstock but instead broke my favorite flower punch. Punches, be they flowers or leaves or raindrops or snowflakes or that infamous cupid. Dry embossing stylus and stencils. 32 pair of decorative edge scissors. 127 different pens and markers, 18 of them green. One heat embossing gun. Circle cutters. Paint brushes. Rubber stamps and acrylic stamps and acrylic blocks. Four different paper trimmers I never could cut straight with. (One big one I can.) Innumerable pairs of scissors. A die cutting machine. 

And that's just off the top of my head, without digging for further proof of all the tools I've purchased over the past 15 years of scrapbooking.

The list of scrapbooking tools can start to feel impossibly long. And let's be honest: it's easy to get sucked into feeling like the next, newest thing is going to revolutionize the way you scrap—or at least make the process faster. Here's the thing, though, with tools: you have to find the one that works for you, and sometimes the process of finding it involves buying a lot of items that don't work. (If I'd just bought my big paper cutter to begin with! I could have paid for half of it with the other smaller ones I bought but didn't like. Sigh.) Tools pile up and get overlooked in the process.

Today's focus is on tools, specifically: stamps.

I think that stamps are a divisive subject. People either love them or hate them. The “hate” side comes down on complexity of use—it's hard to stamp the image exactly where you want it. There's uncertainty involved, as you're never really sure how the stamped image will look. Plus: you have to clean them when you're finished!

Despite all the drawbacks, I have a great affection for stamps. I'm hoping that today's suggestions will inspire you to pull out your bucket or box of stamps and use them (or get rid of a few).

Creative Energy
Spend 10-15 minutes browsing through an online catalogue. Here are some to try:

Close to My Heart
LawnFawn
Stampin' Up
Stamps at Scrapbook.com

Make a list of 5-6 stamps you love or think you'd use. What types of stamps are you drawn to? (My consistent favorites are alphabets, paisleys, and floral motifs.) Now, pull out the stamps you own and browse through them, looking for any similarities between what you wanted and what you own.

Since your stamps are already out, do one more thing. Flip through your stack of photos waiting to be scrapped and find three groupings you'd like to work with. Now, pair up those pictures with a stamp (or two). You don't necessarily have to use the stamp. Just think about its possibilities.

Now, the big question: which stamps could you get rid of and never miss? About a year ago, I went through every single stamp I own. I asked myself if, honestly, I would ever use that particular image on a layout. Some I'd used once or twice; some had never touched an ink pad. I kept the most versatile and neutral ones—those that passed the cupid test—and gave the rest of them to a friend who is an avid card maker. Here’s what’s left of the rubber stamps:

 
What surprised me about weeding my stamping stash is this: I use the ones I kept much more often than I did before. I think this is because I have few enough that I keep them out instead of tucked inside a box. They’re each cute enough to look at all the time—and because I see them, I use them. And I’ve never once thought of the stamps I didn’t keep and wished to have them back.

So! This is me, giving you permission to clean out the stamps you don’t need or use. I know this is hard because let’s face it: stamps are expensive! But, you might just find yourself using the ones you keep more often, which means at least you’re getting your money’s worth out of those ones.

Smart Shopping
Make sure you don’t buy stamps you won’t use by asking yourself:

• How will I use this?
• Do I already own something similar?
• Will I be able to use this on more than one or two layouts?
• Does this stamp wow me enough to overcome the negative aspects of stamping?

 Organizing your Stamps
The thing I love about acrylic stamps is they’re so much easier to store! I keep mine in a leather box; within the box they’re grouped into letter stamps (my biggest indulgence) and images (I don’t have many stamps that don’t have some sort of word). On my scrapping desk, I keep my three favorite date stamps, always stuck onto an acrylic block, so I can easily stamp a date with almost zero effort.

Use Your Stuff Tips
Here are some ways to overcome the negative aspects of stamping:

• Acrylic stamps need a cushion, so place your paper or cardstock on top of a mouse pad, then stamp. The resulting image will be much sharper. Celeste taught me this and my stamped images improved vastly once I tried it.
• Solve the cleaning problem by leaving it until you’re completely finished with your layout. Get out your largest acrylic block and use it as a temporary storage; as you finish with each stamp, stick it on that big block. Then clean them all at once by spritzing them with a stamp cleaner and then pressing onto a cloth.
• I never bother cleaning stamps I’ve used with Stayzon ink. Once it’s dry, it’s nearly impossible to clean off. If that ink won’t come off with stamping cleaner, it’s not going to come off onto another ink pad. Why bother?
• When you’re stamping a long title or phrase with rubber stamps, line them all up in alphabetical order at the top of your work space. (I put mine on the window sill behind my desk.) As you stamp each letter, pull it from its spot, stamp, then put it back. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can stamp even something long with this technique.
• Rather than stamping directly onto your layout, stamp on some other paper or cardstock, then cut it out and stick it on your layout. This is far less stressful because if you mess up, you can just start over.
• Embrace the messiness of stamping. You might never stamp a perfect image and, you know? So what? By its nature, stamping invites messiness. Work that quality into your layout and you might find you love the slightly-shabby feel it evokes.

Use Your Stuff Daily Challenge: Tools

Use an alphabet stamp and one other stamped shape, a non-border punch, and a pen on your layout.

Kelly Jeppson made this layout using the challenge as a starting point:

 
No alphabet stamps, but that is OK because the challenge helped her use things she doesn't usually use, which is the entire point of this exercise anyway!

Here's Lisa's take on the challenge:

 

(I totally WANT those shoes!) Lisa stamped her title and the camera image, used a pen to write the date, and punched the butterfly.

Here's mine:
 
I stamped the title quote (which is a rough interpretation of a Shel Silverstein poem) and then outlined the letters with a brown pen. The messy dots and the heart are both stamps, and I used a punch for the date.

Since I had nearly no scraps left from that piece of Basic Grey patterned paper, I used a different color scheme for the card:

 
(on the inside it reads "me: amazed!")

Tell us: how do you feel about stamping? Share your layout if you make one!

{Day 4} On Sketches, Lifting, and Etiquette

So is it working? Are you not freaking out as much? What I've learned from this week is that most of the advice is really similar to the advice I'd give a beginning scrapbooker. I know since I started doing the research for this week, I've lost a bit of the terror (NOTE: I said a BIT of the terror, it still scares me and sends me into a slight panic, but I'm getting more comfortable with the whole idea of whipping out a card, and I now have a few easy and quick go-to designs that will take a lot of the thinking process out of it for me. Not over thinking it was one of the tips given by a respondent. She must have known me.). I think the key is something Teri Anderson shared:

Practice! Make cards often. I make a card every single day. [She's not kidding, check out her blog] I think card making gets easier the more you do it. It’s like scrapbooking in that way. Think back to your early scrapbook pages. You got better the more you scrapped. It’s the same thing with card making.

She's right. The more cards I make, the more I enjoy it. My biggest issue is I want my cards to be cute, I want to be proud to send them, that was the same issue I had when I started scrapping. I wanted my pages to be well designed and tell a story. I think the more I make cards, the cuter and easier they'll become. I hope you find the same to be true. Please remember to load your cards inspired by this week to the Flickr gallery, I'd love to feature them on Saturday.

Remember how I said some days would be text heavy and others would have lots of pictures? Well today is the latter. You get lots of sketches and examples today. The number one suggestion of the respondents was to use sketches for inspiration. There are so many great sites and magazines out there. You're welcome to share your favorite ones in the comments section today. One that I was personally involved in, Cardmaps Today, the collaboration of Scrapbook and Cards Today and Page Maps goes on sale March 21. Loads of great sketches and even more examples of said sketches. Highly recommended! Click here for more information.

You'll also want to check out the upcoming PaperCrafts Go To Sketches for Card Makers issue (due out in August of 2011). They had nearly 2800 entries and had to pick a mere 10% of those to showcase in the magazine. It's going to be a great resource! I know those sketches inspired many a cardmaker, I know I made a few based off the list. 

Now for the sketches from some of this week's contributors! I asked some of the WCS collaborative to work up a card based on a sketch, if you measure easy by how fast the cards came back after the assignment, I think you'll find these sketches to be great jumping off points for your creativity. 

Allison Landy's sketch and Melissa Kaisermann's interpretation (Ally's version can be seen in Tuesday's post):

 


 

Rae Barthel's sketch and Aly Dosdall's interpretation:

Reneé Morris-Dezember's sketch along with her and Francine Clouden's interpretations:

Shelly Jaquet's sketch and Paula Gilarde's interpretation (Shelly's work can be seen on {Day 1}):

 

Valerie Mangan's sketch along with her and Monika Wright's interpretation:

Teri Anderson's sketch and my take on it will be in the video:

For even more sketches, head over to Paper Smooches!

A few more suggestions along the lines of sketches include visiting the blogs and galleries of cardmakers you admire to analyze what you like about that particular designer's style. Both Becky Olsen and Teri suggested this, Teri put it like this:

Find a few card makers you like. Check out their blogs and galleries. Take some time to really examine their work and figure out why it appeals to you. Are there elements you like? Do they follow design rules well? Are their cards witty? Do you like how they use embellishments?Try to turn what appeals to you into inspiration to make a card or two.

If you need yet more inspiration, you can always lift a layout you've already created. Shelly, Kelly Marie, and Rae all agreed. Shelly suggested you simple scale down a layout that you know has already worked. Why reinvent the wheel?

You can also participate in any of the several challenges out there. Teri said:

Try some card challenges.  They are another great way to get your feet wet. Just search for “card challenge blog” in Google and you’ll find a bunch of great challenges. One of my favorites is the Tuesday Trigger challenge on Moxie Fab World (moxiefabworld.com). Cath, who runs the blog and is Paper Crafts’ Trends Editor, offers an inspiration piece every Tuesday. You get a whole week to make something inspired by it. It’s always a great excuse to make a card and to see what other cardmakers are doing.

The most important thing when looking to other designers and sketch artists for inspiration, please credit them as the source. It's only polite to make sure the original creator gets kudos for helping you come up with something amazing. Thanks to Becky and Sarah for pointing that out!

Finally, I found the following card ideas, which came in an email from Paper Crafts, to be a very helpful as well. Thank you and birthday cards are always nice, but it's good to have a few more ideas when the mood strikes, right?

• All Occasion (humorous as well as serious, blank/no sentiment, etc.)
• Anniversary (milestone anniversaries as well as generic ones)
• Baby
• Birthday (kids, adults, milestone ages, teens, etc.)
• Congratulations (new job, promotion, making the cheer squad, getting engaged, getting an 'A', first house, new car, etc.)
• Easter
• Encouragement (you can do it, good luck, in general or for specific events, etc.)
• Father's Day (expectant dads, new dads, grandfathers, like a dad to me, brothers or friends who are dads, military dads, etc.) 
• Friendship (girlfriends, best friends, humorous as well as sentimental)
• Get Well (sick, hospitalization, broken bones, humorous as well as serious sentiments)
• Graduation (middle school, high school, college, graduate school, etc.)
• Halloween
• Hello
• Love (including Valentine's Day)
• Miss You (romantic, military, etc.)
• Mother's Day (expectant moms, new moms, grandmothers, like a mom to me, military moms, etc.)
• Season's Greetings (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's)
• Sympathy
• Thank You (in general as well as for specific people such as teachers, soldiers, coaches, friends, host/hostess, etc.; as well as for specific occasions and events, such as for a gift, offering support, listening, etc.)
• Thanksgiving
• Thinking of You
• Wedding

 

Supply list:

• blank 5 " x6.5" card
• scrap of paper
• vellum
• foam adhesive
• sewing machine
• letter stickers
• scissors
• trimmer

 

 

Directions:

1. Fold card.
2. Trim scrap of paper to fit. Adhere.
3. Cut about a inch of vellum.
4. Place horizontally over front of card.
5. Add sentiment and trim vellum to fit.
6. Stitch with machine.
7. Hand cut embellishment from a scrap, apply using foam adhesive.

 

{Day 2} Tools & Products

I some how managed to delete my opening paragraph for yesterday's post. Luckily, my second paragraph made sense (according to trusted sources--I thought it may have been a bit abrupt, but my source said no, it was fine), but I wanted to briefly recap.

Because I'm a scrapbooker, people who don't paper craft assume that I'm a whiz at making cards as well. In reality, cards can cause me great anxiety. I think collective member Monika Wright put it best, " I'm always the one without a card to gift and I'm the scrapper in the family!" I was on twitter a while back (did you hear that Write. Click. Scrapbook. is on twitter now? We are writeclickscrap, come join us if you are so inclined...) and noticed a conversation between two of my scrappy friends about how card challenged they felt. I realized I was not alone. Being a bright girl, I decided to do something about my phobia and LEARN to make a decent card, and so, this week was born.

 

Today we're going to find out what tools and products card makers always go for. As a scrapbooker, you don't need to worry, you already have most of these things! Do I hear a collective sigh? :)

Here's what the ladies say we need and a little about why we need them:

• sentiment rub ons, stamps, and digital elements
  Danielle Flanders told me that she loves using rub on sayings or stamps for the sentiments on my cards. Usually I find that chipboard alphabets are too large for cards. If you don't have many rub-ons or stamps, print your own sentiment with your home computer. There are a ton of sites on-line with unique sayings for your cards! Reneé Morris-Dezember encourages beginning card makers to not limit yourself to just stamps...use digital products...stickers...any kind of embellishment that you just really {LOVE} ...if you really LIKE the product you are using...you will really LOVE the cards you make.
   
• punches, both shape and border
  Punches are my favorite tools lately for card making. It's so easy to add shapes to my cards and unique borders with punches. I love the detail they add, says Danielle Flanders. Kimberly Neddo agrees, Border punches are a great way to add dimension too.
  
• stamps
  Stamps can be a go-to supply for card makers, Kimberly especially loves the border stamps that easily bridge the height or width of a card.


• papers you love, but might not normally use on a layout.
  Teri Anderson: A secret confession for y’all: When it comes to card making, I totally flip for cute papers I can use on cards. Bring on those papers with big, goofy floppy eared bunnies. I am kidless and single. And I so don’t have a place for those things in my scrapbook, but I sure like to use cute papers for cards.
   
• foam adhesive
  Many of my respondants listed this product as an absolute must. Angie Hagist loves the dimension that it brings to a card.  Allison Landy said her cards, not just like her layouts, often don't feel complete unless there's some popped up element. 

card property of Angie Hagist

• embossing tools
  Another great way to add dimension to your cards according to Angie.
   
• coordinating lines
  Stick with a single product line or use a club kit or even a card kit. As in scrapbooking, anything that makes the coordinating of product easier is a good thing says Valerie Mangan.
  
  
• small scale papers (6x6 pads are great) 
  Valerie and Kim Hughes both suggest looking for small scale papers.  Valerie suggests you pick up a 6 x 6 paper pad or two. Many lines make smaller scale versions of their collections in this format. These are ideal for cardmakers.
   
• 3D products, especially chipboard 
  Here's an example from Allison Landy showing just how much dimension chipboard and 3D elements can add to a card. 

card property of Allison Landy

• pre-made card blanks and envelopes
  It might seem super obvious, but this is a suggestion from Reneé that I could totally get behind! 

• scraps (much more on that tomorrow)

Two final comments on tools and products before we get to the video:

Becky Olsen also recommends you only pull out a few supplies, so as to not overwhelm the process: 

When you know what you are working on, pull out just a few products that are inspiring to you, I have found that if I have too many options it will take substantially more time to filter through all of the choices, thus complicating your design process. After you have the base of your card designed if you think of a specific product that is the perfect add at that point that you didn't already include, get it out then.

And Mary Kay Seckinger suggests that you keep all your often-used card making tools out and handy, so it's easy to whip out a card when the mood strikes you. Very good idea!

 Here's a supply list for you:

• pre-made card blank and envelope
• 2 sheets of 6x6 patterned
• scrap of white paper
• 6.5" ribbon
• sentiment sticker
• chipboard frame
• liquid adhesive
• cutting tool
• scissors
• boarder punch
• foam adhesive
• adhesive runner

 

 

Instructions for a 5"x7" card:

1. Cut a 4.5" x 5" piece of paper, adhere to base.
2. Cut a 3.75" x 5" coordinating piece, use a border punch on one side.
3. Adhere a strip of ribbon to the smaller piece, wrap around the back.
4. Adhere to the card.
5. Apply sentiment sticker to white cardstock, w/ liquid adhesive attach a frame around the sentiment. Trim.
6. Apply foam dots to the sentiment, apply to the card.

2011 Calendars: More Fun Ideas

A Note from Cheryl

To make this little calendar as simple and inexpensive as possible, I printed 4 months per 8.5 x 11 page, trimmed them down to 4 x 5.25 and then matted each one with a 4.25 x 5.5 piece of coordinating cardstock. I usually make one of these each year, throw it on a little dollar store easel by my computer and have it to glance at when I need to know the date :)

mini-calendar | materials digital embellishments (Creativity by Crystal, Libby Weifenbach) + font (French Script MT)

 A Note from Francine

Digital calendar kits make great gifts and can be used over and over in different ways! I made this calendar with Kate Teague's printable kit and my own photos:

materials Monthly Bits 2011 Funky Version kit (Kate Teague for Design House Digital)

This one features Kieran, one photo for each month, and like Celeste's calendar, is sized to fit into an empty CD case for easy storage and display:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

materials 2011 calendar kit/printable (Karla Dudley for Design House Digital)

We wish you a happy 2011 full of many clever ways to keep track of the date!

A special thank you to Crystal Wilkerson of Creativity by Crystal for her generous sponsorship of our second annual WCS For the Holidays celebration!

Easy Summer Scrapbooking, Day 3

This week we are looking at some of my favorite time-saving ideas for scrapbooking.  We started our week of easy summer scrapbooking ideas with the topic of scraplifting.  Elizabeth Dillow, fellow team member and co-founder of WCS, commented on Monday’s post:  “I love this idea--and need to staple a big reminder on my bulletin board because I'm always so happy after I do it. But I often forget.” 

Her sentiment echoes how I feel about today’s topic – the divided page protector.  I love the idea of using divided page protectors in my scrapbooking albums.  I have used them many times before, but I don't use them nearly as often as I should.  Because every time I do I always think, “I should have done that all along.”  You see, often when I decide to use a divided page protector it’s because I’ve been struggling with my layout design.  This most frequently happens when I’m trying to scrapbook a special event or a holiday.  I think you know quite well what I am talking about.  A lot of scrapbookers have a hard time coming up with ideas and designs for Christmas, birthdays and other special occasions.  You have lots and lots of photos and you’re just not sure what to do with them.  You might find it difficult or nearly impossible to narrow down the selection.  Or sometimes, you might find that you don't want to narrow it down. 

I struggled to scrapbook my youngest son’s first birthday (he’ll be two in a little over a month – so yes, I’ve put it off for that long).  I was having a hard time with the design because I wanted to include so many of the photos from our small family celebration.  Not that every photo was a masterpiece, but because each photo added a little something to the story of that day.  In the end I decided to make one page focusing on just three of my favorite photos and then I included the rest in a divided page protector.  Here is my layout:

And here is the front side of the page protector of extra photos:

 
And the back:

 
As easy as that, my problem was solved.  And, I should have done that all along.

Relating specifically to this week’s topic, divided page protectors also make page design extremely easy.  I was reminded of this when looking through this month’s galleryand came across team member Beth Proudfoot’s layouts.  She didn’t use the page protectors to store extra photos, but instead she built her layout using the page protector as her guide.  In her notes she said, “One of the quickest and simplest ways to scrapbook 4 x 6 photos is to use these fun page protectors.  Divided into five sections, it’s easy to create custom looks with photos and patterned paper.  Depending on the number of photos you use, you can achieve very different looks with the same protector sheet!”

Here is one of her layouts:

 
Do go and visit this month's gallery to she her other examples:  Laugh and 7 Months.  Even though she used the same style page protector for each layout, the designs are all quite different.  Luckily, these days there are so many different styles and sizes of page protectors available, so the variety of page designs is truly endless.  Not only can you make pages quickly and easily, but you can add variety to your albums as well. 

WCS team member Monika Wright contributed this page for today’s post: 

 
Monika said she really enjoyed making a layout using a page protector as her guide and approached it as she would if she were making a mini album.  She adhered the embellishments to the outside of the page to give it dimension.  Monika created the candles on her page by rolling patterned paper around shipping twine - too adorable and so creative! 

Even though this week’s theme is easy summer scrapbooking there are lots of times when using divided page protectors can keep you from feeling overwhelmed.  They are an easy way to design a page.  They can help you scrapbook lots of photos or include extra photos in your albums.  They are a great solution to those difficult topic dilemmas like how to scrapbook Christmas and birthdays.  Ultimately, they are an easy and fast way to tell your story. 

If you’ve made any scrapbook layouts or even an entire album using page protectors as your design guide share it with us in the WCS gallery.

 

The products - our picks

What would a report about CHA be if we didn't mention product. We’re going to wrap up our week of posting with out top 5 picks from the show. Here’s Paula's list in no particular order:

Bo Bunny’s Whoo-ligans. How cute is that name for Halloween papers? I really liked the cute patterns but what appealed to me even more is that only one side was theme-related – the B sides had more geometric patterns and could be used for any theme. I also really liked that they introduced blue into a Halloween color palette. Such a fun line.

Bella Blvd’s One Fall Day. Loved the color palette here too – I especially love the teal. As in my previous pick – I could see myself using the geometric patterned b-sides a lot. 

Jillibean Soup’s Pasta Fagioli: I’ll admit that I have a bias here, because I got to play with this line before the show but the colors and patterns of this line are so versatile. The red script and hounds-tooth  are perfect for Christmas layouts and cards (speaking of which, I didn’t see any Christmas line that blew me away this year). Thanks to Summer Fullerton for the photo:

Studio Calico’s Documentary line – what’s not to love? Great colors, subtle patterns (map paper) – I am definitely going to use this for scrapping my summer travels this year. Thanks to Marnie for the photo:

Crate Paper: The Restoration line was very pretty, subtle patterns –beautiful stuff and the booth layouts were stunning. Snow Day was cute, cute, cute and my favorite Christmassy line at the show.

But wait, there’s more! I have to also mention American Crafts City Park and the KI memories Sew Happy papers. Maybe I should have gone with a top 10 list! I didn't even get to mention some of the cool tools that I saw, in particular WeR Memory Keepers Sew Easy. Even though it was a small show there was plenty there to keep me interested!

Emily: Paula covered most of my favorite lines (both of Studio Calico's showings, the Crate Restoration line, One Fall Day from Bella, and Jillibean Soup's Pasta Fagioli line), so I'll add some of the other things I fell in love with at the show:

The Jenni Bowlin mini school alphas: Give me a Jenni Bowlin alpha and I'm happy. Give me a mini Jenni Bowlin alpha and I'm giddy. Give me a whole bunch, and well, I'm over the moon. Talking to Jenni's husband Jared, he said he wasn't sure why they didn't do them earlier, the larger ones had been such a huge success. I can only say I'm just glad they did them.

KI Pockets and Sew-Cute Calendars: KI has returned to it's roots and I am thrilled. I started scrapping when they released their Grateful line. I loved the Grateful Stripe. When it was discontinued I bought the last 10 sheets my on-line store had. I still have 6 or 7 :) I loved KI. Then things changed up a bit and I struggled to love. But this new release, Over the Rainbow is awesome. I love it. But I really love the cute new pockets and the Sew-Cute calendar paper is fabulous. Best part? The other side looks just like the calendar side, sans calendar. VERY good idea.


These MM flowers are just happy.


You love punches? You're in trouble. EK Success has put out a bunch of new ones, the punched areas are about an inch in size, so dang cool. I love the scallop w/ the circle. My overflowing punch basket is in trouble.


My favorite paper of the entire show? Well it would be this one from the BG Wander line. It's called Metropolis and it's very whimsical. BG really hit it out of the park with the Wander line, I love some of the Jovial pieces as well. Go BG!


and my final pick ( I know, I went over...) but how cute are these pink felt flowers from Pebbles?


Like Paula said, the show was small, but over all the manufacturers really gave us some great things to drool over. Every time I go to a show I think they won't top themselves. 9 times out of 10, they do.

We hoped you enjoyed our reports from CHA. We're off to catch up on some sleep!

  and

My random week ends with favorites.

We all have our favorites - food, shows, book, all-things-scrapbook-related, Dr Pepper and Bon Jovi. And that's what today's post is about. All my current favorite scrapbook goodness. Here we go!

Scrapbookers

I'm sure you all have your go-to scrapbookers when looking for inspiration. You know the ones, whose layouts are like eye candy. Two of mine are Susan Weinroth and Stephanie Howell.

I love how Susan designs her pages: the colors, the pattern paper, the embellishments. She makes me want to scrapbook 12x12. Which I totally would do if my pages would look like this:

 

Added bonus - she quilts. Fantastic quilts. And not only are the front of the quilts beautiful, the backs super fun, too. I need to learn to quilt.  A couple other favorites are this ruffle card and this pillow. I also really need to sew more. For more of Susan's work, check out her blog.

Two things Stephanie does on her pages I love? Her handwriting and the way she can just sprinkle embellishments (love the butterflies) over her page and it just flows and looks so good.  I tried it once. It didn't turn out nearly as cute.

You can see more of Stephanie's projects on her blog.

Actions

For Mother's Day, I upgraded from Photoshop Elements 4, to Photoshop Elements 8. Which means I can now use Actions, and that is very exciting. Well, at least to me, it is.  I immediately downloaded Pioneer Woman's Actions for Elements. And I immediately had a favorite - the Seventies action. Which I used on this photo of Mackenzie.

And then this one, of Emma and her friend Bree.

 

Seriously fun, and it makes me want to make every photo look like it came from the seventies.

Products

Have you seen the new Jillibean Soup line, Summer Squash Soup?  Oh how I want it. Love the colors and patterns - I already have pictures in mind to scrap with it.

Colors

I tend to use the same colors when I scrap - bright  shades of blue, green, yellow and pink. Kind of like these dresses I found at Target for Emma and Mackenzie.

I need scrapbook paper that looks just like that. In fact, how about an entire summer line built around it? Yes, please!

Border Punches

I love border punches. I use them on almost ever page I create. Two of my favorite punches are these:

Binding Edge

 

Scallop Edge by Stampin' Up

There are quite a few on my to-get list, including:

Bubbles by EK Success

Round Binding Edge by Ek Success 

Open Scallop by EK Success

Bumpy Road by EK Success 

Layouts in our Flickr group

I am loving these pages recently posted in the WCS Flickr group:

My Truck Story by TaraMcK 

I love how the colors just pop off the page, and the stacked Polaroids are so fun.

Target by sherrystamps

Because who doesn't love Target? I love that Sherry turned the tape that gives toilet paper a handle in to a scrapbook accent. Hee hee.

Layout 24 by A.N.D.R.E.A. (Just a link, couldn't get the photo to post - sorry!)

Beautiful page. Love how the photos are linked together.

And with that, my week is over. Thanks so much for stopping by this week. I've got one last question for you before I go - What are your favorites? Share some blogs, tools, Actions, layouts, products and more - let us know what you are currently loving in this oh-so-addicting hobby of ours.

WCS Presents: SRM Guest Designers Week, Day 2

We're participating in a blog exchange with SRM Stickers this week—you'll see four beautiful projects perfect for Mother's Day designed by four talented members of the SRM Stickers design team, and if you hop on over to the SRM Stickers blog, you'll find some familiar WCS faces over there! If you're new to Write. Click. Scrapbook. this week, welcome! Explore our archives and galleries and be sure to say hello (and visit us often). Please welcome today's guest designer, Nina Brackett!

This project is a beautiful, unique way to give a gift of cards for Mother's Day. Follow Nina's step-by-step directions to make your own set!

To complete Nina's project, you'll need to gather the following; Nina lists her specific product choices in parentheses.

For the cards:

• 6 A2 size cards (Gina K Designs Lipstick Red and Ivory)
• 3 5.5" x 3.5" blue cardstock panels (Stampin' Up Baja Breeze)
• 3 5.5" x 3.5" aqua cardstock panels (Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist)
• 3 4" x 3.25" ivory cardstock panels
• 3 4" x 3.25" yellow panel (Gina K Designs Sweet Corn)
• Coordinating patterned papers (Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Collection)
• big doily stamp (Gina K Designs Nana's Needlework stamp set)
• Red (Distress Brick by Rangers), Tan (Clearsnap), Embossing Inkpad (Versamark)
• White Embossing Powder (Stampin' Up!)
• Sticker Sentiments (SRM Sticker Sentiments Thinking of You, Love and Birthday)
• Ivory Ribbon (Gina K Designs), lace
• Aqua pearls (Mark Richards)
• Tools: heat gun, sponge dauber, corner rounder punch

For the box:

• sturdy 8.5" x 6"carstock (Gina K Designs Lipstick Red)
• 2 3" x 6" blue cardstock strips (Stampin' Up Baja Breeze
• Patterned paper panel (Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Collection)
• Big white flower (Bazzill)
• 24" ribbon (Gina K Designs), blue ribbon (Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze)
• "Just for You" sticker (SRM Sticker Sentiment Birthday)
• a scoring tool (I used ScorPal, but an old fashioned ruler and the back of a knife will do)
• a paper trimmer
• a clear box (Gina K Designs)
• strong adhesive (Scor tape)
• Tools: decorative border punches (Fiskars) or scissors, sewing machine

To make the cards....

1. Round corners of one side of card bases.
2. Stamp doily on ivory panels with red ink. Heat emboss doily stamp on yellow panels using white embossing powder.
3. Sponge all edges of cardstock with tan ink.
4. Adhere patterned paper strip, lace, doily panel on blue/aqua cardstock panel.
5. Adhere piece to card base, then tie bow.
6. Adhere sticker on ivory cardstock, trim, round corners, and mount using pop dots on card front.
7. Repeat steps for all six cards.

To make the card box...

Score 8.5" x 6" cardstock on the 4.5" and 6.5 marks. While the clear box is still flat, cut it in half, then assemble.

Border punch two blue strips of cardstocks. Adhere to box sides. Wrap ivory ribbon around box, adhere. Adhere patterned paper panel on box front. Stitch around. Cut a stem from blue cardstock, adhere.

Adhere flower, stringed button. Adhere sticker on ivory cardstock then mount on box front with pop dots.

Adhere the cut halves of clear boxes using scor tape to inside of box.

Insert cards and envelopes inside the box. Tie bow, and your card set is complete!

....................................................................................................................................

Nina Brackett is a Filipino-American living in Croatia, where she shares her love of papercrafting with friends in Croatia and Bosnia and as outreach for the women in her small town. Her work has been published in magazines including Cards and Papercrafts, among others. In addition to her work for SRM Stickers, she also designs for Card Patterns and Gina K Designs. She is married to a Bible professor and is the mom of three girls. Read more about Nina by visiting her blog, Crafting in Croatia.

WCS Presents: SRM Guest Designers Week

We're participating in a blog exchange with SRM Stickers this week—you'll see four beautiful projects perfect for Mother's Day designed by four talented members of the SRM Stickers design team, and if you hop on over to the SRM Stickers blog, you'll find some familiar WCS faces over there! If you're new to Write. Click. Scrapbook. this week, welcome! Explore our archives and galleries and be sure to say hello (and visit us often). Please welcome today's guest designer, Amy Heller!

First of all, I just want to say what a pleasure it is to be on Write. Click. Scrapbook. with you today. Thank you so much for letting me share with you. I made a Mother’s Day mini album using SRM Stickers and Basic Grey's new Green at Heart line, with all sorts of ideas for using SRM Stickers on your layouts and mini albums. So let's get started!

1) Piecing Stickers with 3-Dimensional Letters
For the title of my cover I used several pieced stickers to create the title I wanted, interchanging the words with chipboard letters to create a long title that has visual appeal. Sometimes having a long title in all the same font becomes cumbersome to the reader. Breaking a title up visually with varying type and texture adds interest and easier readability.

2) Adding Stickers on Top of Patterned Paper
The great thing about SRM Stickers is that they completely “melt” into your paper. I really love adding these stickers on top of patterned paper because it creates an entirely new element where I probably would not have placed anything for fear of over visually cluttering up the page. They are perfect for just giving a slight added texture without showing the seams of the sticker.

3) Placing Stickers on Top of Photos
This is probably my favorite use of SRM Stickers in my layouts. Talk about adding something to your page! You can add a page title, a simple emotion or additional texture to the page simply by using stickers on top of your photos. I use this technique with nearly every layout I use SRM Stickers on. This is what really knocked my socks off with these stickers—visually it looks like you have printed your verbiage onto your photo! It’s that seamless! The added benefit is that you can run the sentiment off the photo, too! You can’t do that unless you are going entirely digital. 

4) Placing Stickers on Top of Several Layers of Paper
One of the styles I use frequently, especially in my cards, is layering papers. Whether it’s cardstock or patterned paper, if you lay an SRM Sticker over the layers and press firmly into the creases, again you get a completely seamless effect. This was so great for me, because I didn’t feel like I needed to change my style in order to fit the stickers—they were going to work no matter how I worked with my paper. I love that!

5) Journaling Tags
I find this all the time. Manufacturers make all kinds of beautiful journaling tags, lined and unlined. And I know there are plenty of scrappers out there who dislike using their own handwriting on their layouts. These stickers offer such a great solution by allowing you to maintain the beauty of the journaling tag behind the sticker without an off-putting white background, or heaven forbid, a mess-up with your own handwriting! In addition, many times I used journaling tags/spots as secondary titles, or call-outs to my layouts. I find that these stickers are my go-to solution for sentiments or emotions. Often times it is for that last journaling tag on my layout that just pulls everything together.

......................................................................................................................................................................

Amy Heller is a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful kids and wife to the most supportive husband ever. She's been scrapbooking and creating cards since 2004, two years after the birth of her eldest child. A graphic designer by trade, scrapbooking and papercrafting provide a natural and wonderful creative outlet to Amy. She loves connecting with other creative and enthusiastic scrapbookers and paper crafters; you can read more about Amy by visiting her blog, {Paush Design and Paperie Sweets}.