Frosted Designs Office Supplies Challenge

Reminder Board For Child

Office supply stores are one of my favorite places to visit; on the list just under bookstores.  Back-to-School-Time is also one of my favorites because all of the school supplies are on sale.  I think a lot of paper-crafters share similar feelings.  Which brings me to the challenge from Frosted Designs this week: Office Supplies. Whoo hoo!  I love it!

Three Pieces of Cardboard Packaging To Be Glued Together For Base

For the challenge, I knew I wanted to use shipping tags and binder clips.  I also knew that I was becoming weary of reminding my dd every single day to do some simple things.  It seemed a Reminder Chart was in order.  

The greatest thing about this project is that I used things on hand and things that would normally have been thrown into the recycling bin.

Cricut Art Philosophy Negative Cut Sheet 

After painting the cardboard base with acrylic paint, I adhered a piece of cardstock that was a leftover from a Cricut heart-cutting project that had been misted with pearl paint and water.

Binder Clips To Be Covered With Washi and Tissue Tape

On each side of the chart there are cute tape covered binder clips to hold the decorated shipping tags with the various reminders printed on them.  

Painted Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Shipping Tag

The tags are regular manilla painted with Tattered Angels Tutti Fruiti Glimmer Mist.  After they dried I ran them through the printer and added washi/tissue tape to both ends.

Close-Up of Painted Chipboard Letters With Liquid Pearls

My seven year old is the princess of re-purposing. She noticed that the double-sided tape dispenser was empty and that some of the washi tape was the same size as the used-up tape.  She suggested that I re-use the dispenser.  What a great idea! See it pictured below.

Reusing Tape Dispenser For Washi Tape

The last addition to the board was ribbon.  The one used for hanging came from a gift and the other little ones are from my stash.

Bow Tucked Through Binder Clip

She has had this in her room for a couple of days and it has helped a little bit.  Now instead of asking her if she did each of the individual things, I ask her if she did the things on the board.  It is progress!  Once these items are habits, we can change the tags to new things.

Hanging In DD's Room

This is my last Frosted Designs Challenge as a Design Team member.  When the card challenges ceased, I opted to remain for my term as a Friday team member.  I love the women who are part of Frosted Designs.  They are talented, kind and very sharing.  I will miss being a part of this amazing group, but am excited to continue working on other projects.  Speaking of which, if you get a chance, please visit Faithbooking For All for this week's Faithbooking Friday post.

Thank you for visiting! Have an amazing weekend!
Beverly

Background Techniques - Washi and Tissue Tape

Washi Tape on Shipping Tag

Washi tape is so much fun to use.  It is somewhat transparent and re-stickable.  On the tag above you can see the manila color of the shipping tag.  Below is a picture of the two different colors of cardstock that the Tim Holtz Tissue Tape was placed on for the card background (which is pictured at the bottom of the post.)

 

Cardstock Colors Before Tissue Tape Was Adhered

The tissue tape is 1/2" wide.  This was the perfect size for a standard size card.  When it was done, I decided that it would be nice to see the light pink of the card base, so I cut the tissue tape background to a 4" x 5 1/4" rectangle.

Tissue Tape Strips On Alternating Colors of Cardstock

Tissue Tape Background for Standard Sized Card

The CTMH stamped images were stamped with CTMH Black Archival ink.

Thank you for stopping by!

Beverly

Background Technique - Crimp or Corrugate

Crimped Shipping Tag

There are hundreds of background techniques for papercrafters to choose from when working on any given project.  I am revisiting a bunch of them over the next couple of weeks. Also, I am starting a new page on my blog that is specifically for background techniques.  This way the techniques will be listed with commonly used names. I hope it is easy to locate the one for which someone may be looking. And maybe it will help those who are looking for something new or different to try. It should be ready by the end of the week.

 This card was made by using a Fiskars crimper horizontally on a piece of kraft cardstock and a piece of Ruby cardstock running diagonally.  The base is also CTMH kraft cardstock.

CTMH Cashmere Pigment Ink and Clear Embossing Powder

I layered the embossed sentiment over a piece of burlap ribbon and Ruby cs.  The edges of all pieces were either edge or ink distressed.

Thank you so much for visiting today.  Please stop back tomorrow when the background technique is all about using washi and tissue tape.

Beverly

Polished Stone Technique - CTMH Inks

CTMH Thanks Stamped with CTMH Black Archival Ink

 Background Technique Week continues with a third variation of the Polished Stone Technique.  Here is a video recap of the different materials and a quick demonstration of the technique using cotton balls and CTMH reinkers:

The reason why glossy paper works well for this technique is that the liquid needs to stay on top of the paper for as long as possible so that it can be moved around.  Some applicators work better than others for dispersing the ink and blending solutions. One of my favorites is cotton balls because they hold the liquid well and are inexpensive.  You can also try sponges, rags, q-tips and see what works best for you.  With the other applicators you may get a different look than polished stone, but it can still be pretty spectacular in appearance.

Polished Stone Technique with CTMH Juniper, Sky and Lagoon Reinkers

I tried using the silver metallic marker from CTMH on the piece above and discovered that the ink would not blend.  Good to know that it is a great medium for a permanent application.

Hambly Studios Washi Tape Toned Down the Intensity of the Pink Cardstock

The last picture is to show that the washi tape really changed the tone of the front.  The pink of the cardstock  is very bright.  Depending on the recipient, it may need a neutral mat added to the inside for the message and signature.

Polished Stone Technique With Copic Markers

CTMH Stamps: Treasure Life and Rosy Regards

Thank you for visiting! Yesterday's post was also about the Polished Stone Technique. The main star was Adirondack's alcohol inks, which offer spectacular results. Today's post is another way to do this easy technique, but with other supplies. Many of which are likely to be on hand.  I do not have any colors of Copic reinkers so I devised a way to do the polished stone technique with Copic markers.  It isn't great, but it is ok. It is not as 'stone-like' as using ink from a bottle.  More of a blended, water-like or field type background. Though, I really like how it looks when stamped with CTMH's Black Archival ink on top.

Copic Markers and Rubbing Alcohol 

The basic method of the Polished Stone Technique is to apply ink to a glossy surface along with an alcohol blending solution.  A metallic mixative is optional.  Today I used 3 copic colors and regular drug store rubbing alcohol on top of glossy cardstock and Kodak photo paper.  Prior to scribbling onto the paper, I coated it with alcohol.  After applying all three markers, I took the Inkssentials Blending Tool (with felt) and applied more alcohol.  It worked much better on the glossy cardstock than on the photo paper. When I get an air compressor, this will be the first technique I try.  I think the results will be amazing!  Probably more Polished-Stone-ish.

Please come back tomorrow for the Polished Stone Technique with CTMH ink and also a video with samples and a quick demonstration.

Have a glorious Monday!
Beverly

Polished Stone - Adirondack Style

Magenta Young Girl Reading Stamp

 This week is all about background techniques.  The first one has been around for years.  The Ranger Ink/ Adirondack Alcohol Ink people made it famous, though.  It is easy to do and no two are alike. The supplies are minimal and it offers quick results.  Later this week, I will show the end results of this technique using different materials. Also, there will be a video comparing the three different results and a quick tutorial.

Pearl Mixative with Eggplant, Stream, Wild Plum

The common denominator to all of the polished stone configurations is a glossy surface and alcohol.
Please visit tomorrow to see how this technique can be done with Copic markers.

Have a great day!
Beverly

Booklet for Tags Tutorial

Booklet Made With CTMH Dakota B & T Paper

 Happy Friday!  Today I have a project that I made for Faithbooking For All, but thought it might be something that could be used for other purposes so I am sharing it here as well. The full tutorial and video are here.

Tag Booklet Front Cover

Once the tags are decorated and otherwise complete, this can become a treasured book.  Alternatively, the tags inside can be used for journaling, list keeping, chore reminders and photo tags. It would make a cute gift with notes on each tag or photos or both!    If tags aren't your thing, it could be used as a coupon holder when going to the supermarket.  Or gift certificates or homemade coupons could be placed inside the pockets, too.  What a fun gift that would be to open!

Inside Dotty Paper Tag Booklet

In case you were curious as to why the tags are blank, it is because next Friday I am releasing a technique tutorial on ways to decorate them.

Thank you so much for visiting today!  I appreciate your time!
Beverly

Clean Up My Desk Card #3 - Mailable Cards Week

Last week I mailed 8 cards at the post office. Because of my love of layering, 7 of the 8 needed extra postage.  Hence, the Mailable-Card-Week, self-challenge I am engaged in this week!  Cards can still be very nice without requiring more than regular postage. :-)

This card uses some leftover snowflakes cut using the Cricut, and one Martha Stewart punch.  They are adhered to a piece of black cardstock which has two strips of the new adhesive-backed, CTMH Silver Shimmer Trim running on the top and bottom.  This piece is on top of a Sky card base cut to the standard size, but it opens on the right hand side.

Thank you for visiting.
Beverly

Clean Up My Desk Card #2 - Mailable Cards Week

5 1/2" by 4 1/4" Standard Size Card

 The clean up continues!  There were several different diecuts leftover from when I was playing with the Artiste Cricut cartridge. These were all made with the Avonlea paper, which is too pretty to throw away!  So they made it onto this simple, mailable card.

CTMH Colonial White Rosette Ribbon Is My Favorite!

The gorgeous rosette ribbon smooshes down, so it fits easily into an envelope with no extra postage.  The sentiment is from the Perfect Day stamp set.

Thank you for stopping by.  The clean up continues with another card tomorrow.  Please visit if you get a chance.
Beverly

Clean Up My Desk Card - Mailable Cards Week

After working on a few projects, I end up with several usable pieces of stuff that did not make it into the original project.  I prefer to work at a clean desk and try to tidy up after each big project. Sometimes I am in a bit of a hurry and a little pile of sort-of-discards starts to accumulate. That is what has happened over the last few weeks.  It was time to take back my surface space and clean up!

Vellum Stamped and Embossed with White - Colored On Reverse

These little trees were too cute to throw away so I put them on a card along with some baker's twine and called it done.  Each was stamped on a different color paper. From the left hand-side: Black ink on white cardstock, white embossing on vellum, and white embossing on black cardstock.  After fussy cutting, they were popped up with foam tape on a Sorbet colored background.

This size card will fit into a business size (number 10) envelope, so it would not require any extra postage. It is 8 1/2" long and 3 1/4" tall.

Thank you for visiting today!
Beverly

Digital Scrapbooking Made Very Easy With Studio J

I never thought I would be a fan of digital scrapping.  Ever.  But a couple of years ago I tried the free Studio J program offered by CTMH and saw that I would be able to do a lot more scrapping with the limited time that I had.  It is easy to use and very intuitive.  Now it is even more affordable.  There is an option to purchase the jpeg files and print your own, if you prefer.  Otherwise a two page 12 x 12 layout is $6.95. Or if you purchase a 5 pack (10 pages) the $39.95 cost includes shipping! A Good-to-Know-Tidbit: it is possible to design an entire two page layout before committing any funds. :-)

The new video posted above is from CTMH. It shows a few of the many ways to make a layout uniquely yours.  Also, if you are interested in hybrid scrapping, it is a great way to do the digital component and then you can add your extra touches when you receive your layouts.  Please visit Studio J to checkout how quick and easy scrapbooking can be!

Thank you for visiting!
Beverly

Frosted Designs Twine and Ribbon Challenge

Paint Splattered On Textured Honey Cardstock

Thank you for visiting today!  Frosted Designs has a fun challenge beginning today using twine and/or ribbon.  Please join us by making a card, layout or off the page project and link it up here.

Dresses Cut From Cricut Artiste Cartridge

On this layout, I used white baker's twine to string a clothesline. I love these cute little clothespins! It was nice to finally be able to use them, after having stored them for years.  Yellow baker's twine was wrapped around the bottom of the picture with a piece of yellow hemp.  I used three different alphabets for the title.  A little bit of journaling is on the half-circle/wheel.

CTMH Ready to Color Canvas "4" and SEI Corrugated Letters

There is a new post today for Faithbooking Friday on my other blog.  Please check it out at Faithbooking For All.

Have a fabulous day!
Beverly

Supplies:
Cardstock: CTMH
Patterned Paper: CTMH Stella
Baker's Twine: CTMH
Yellow Hemp: SU!
Alphabet Stickers: CTMH Keepsake Felt, CTMH Canvas, SEI Corrugated
Journaling Shape: SEI
Paint: Mister Huey's and Perfect Pearls
Tiny Clothespins from Stash
CTMH Cricut Artiste Cartridge

Life On The Farm - Art Journal Page

Could Have Been Tacked  Inside the Barn

My family moved to a rural area of Iowa when I was in elementary school.  It felt far away from everything and very hodge-podgey to me.  Nothing seemed to 'fit' together on The Farm. As we lived there, things continued to get cobbled together, just to work until the next time they broke down. There were bits and pieces of machinery in most of the out buildings. None of them worked. It seemed like everything was ancient and dirty.  My parents decided to try their hand at raising goats (for milk) and chickens.  As my dear dad was a city boy from Newark, it was a learning experience for all of us - with a very steep curve.  So with that introduction, you are probably thinking I hated it.  I did.  At the time.  Now I look back and realize it was one of the best experiences that I could have asked for as a child.

Dusting of Snow on Everything, or Dirt, Depending on the Time of Year

 The part that I am the most thankful for is that because of that experience/experiment (we only lasted 5 years on The Farm) I have a deep appreciation for the farmers of the world.  My friends and their families worked every day of the week.  On Sundays, they would rise even earlier to complete their chores in order to make it to church on time.  They rarely went on vacation.  Weather dictated so much about how they lived.

Heavy Weight White Denim Fabric Book - The Before Picture

 The quote that I wrote on my page, from Dwight D. Eisenhower, sums up how I feel:

Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.

Brilliant!

 So this mis-matched, layer upon layer of stuff, reflects The Farm life for me.  It isn't pretty.  It isn't meant to be.  If you search through the chaos, you will see some really wonderful things, like the old fashioned tricycle and the flowers with wheels on top of them - representing those that managed to grow without anyone tending them.  I am not striving for a 'beautiful' art journal. I want mine to be authentic for me.

In addition to learning about what types of things work on fabric pages - and what are challenges - I am revisiting some long buried memories.  This journey of exploration has been helpful to me.  And it is a fun process, even if my work looks wonky!

Happy Trails!
Beverly

It's Your Day Double Stamp Set

To celebrate National Stamping Month in September, CTMH is bringing back the popular double stamp set promotion! You can get the exclusive, new My Acrylix® It’s Your Day double stamp set for just $5 when you place a minimum order of $35 in full retail products from August 15 through September 30, 2012. You’ll love this double set—two D-size sets in one envelope—which includes nearly 50 trendy images that makes it easy to capture the everyday moments in your life. The double set has a retail value of $35.90, which drastically increases the value of your qualifying purchase! Have twice the fun stamping during National Stamping Month with our new, exclusive It’s Your Day double stamp set!

Inside Card

 I did a water wash over the stamped images on the inside of the card and the polka dots on the card front at the top of the post. The stamp set is pictured below along with some of the corporate artwork from CTMH.

Thank you for visiting today!
Beverly

Mini Albums - Interactive Elements

CTMH Cricut Artiste Collection 3 3/4" Album

Mini-books are more playful than traditional scrapbooks because of their diminutive size. They seem to lend themselves to the use of lots of interactive elements as well.  This video shows many examples of folders, tags and pockets that were included on the pages of the mini album pictured on this page.

All of the book pages were cut using the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  Most of the interactive elements were random cuts or scraps that were laying on my desk.
The best sizes for the elements will be determined by the size of the pages in the book.  It is a great way to use up bits and pieces.

Stella B & T Paper

I bound the book with large book binder rings which were embellished with some burlap and striped ribbons.

Thank you for visiting today!
Beverly

Mini Albums - Tips for Mini Books: Tied Bindings

Happy Monday!  Here is a video with some tips for binding mini-books.

Here are some suggested materials for tie-binding mini books:

• Ribbon
• Yarn
• String
• Twine
• Hemp
• Jute
• Leather Cords
• Pearl Cotton
• Shoelaces
• Wire
• Nylon Cable Ties
• Twill Tape
• Pipe Cleaners
• Twist Ties
• Ric Rac
• Seam Binding
• Tulle
• Lace
• Fabric Strips
• Cording (for piping, drapery or upholstery)
• Jewelry Cording (plastic and satin)
• Clothes Line
• Crocheted or Knitted Chains
• Braided or Macrame Cords
• Pull Chains
• Book rings - decorate with ribbon or fibers (the rings are not tied onto the books, they are fastened through a hole in the pages)

If you have any other suggestions for tying books, please let me know.  I would love to have as comprehensive a list as possible.  Thank you!

Have a wonderful day!  Thank you for visiting!

Beverly

10 Minute Card - Suitable for Mailing Sympathy Card

Butterfly is Negative Cut From Cricut Artiste

 Sometimes it is necessary to come up with a very quick card.  Unfortunately, sympathy cards usually fall into that category for me.  I would love to be able to send an 'over-the-top' card to everyone who receives a card from me, but realistically that is not always possible.  And sympathy cards are oftentimes needed without advance notice.  I needed a quick mailable card yesterday and this is what I came up with. Sadness sometimes makes it hard for me to think creatively, so that is another challenge in coming up with a card quickly.  It is simple, but I think that is ok.  It will let the little girl who is receiving this know that she is in my thoughts as she mourns the loss of her father.

Larger Butterfly Cut For Inside Card

Very few words were needed on the inside of the card, so I decided to dry emboss the edge and adhere a large butterfly inside.  I know this card is not spectacular, but I wanted to share it because all of us need quick cards sometimes; and maybe it will help someone else when they need one.

May your day be filled with joy and love. Give your dad or your dear children an extra hug if you can.  Life is unpredictable.

Beverly

Spice Jars For Embellishments

A few years ago I bought a couple dozen Rajtan spice jars from Ikea to use to store scrapbooking/stamping embellishments.  I loved how cute the buttons, brads, bows, etc. looked in them.  Then I under-took a major  home-office reorganization and converted most of my stuff to The Scraprack storage system.  I am just about done with the challenge of getting it organized.  This left me with lots of jars and other containers that I no longer need in my craftroom/office.  This led me to do some Google searches for ways to use my jars. Guess what?  I decided to use them for their original purpose!  Spices!  It is because of this picture that I chose to re-purpose my re-purposed jars.

Now my jars are in the kitchen.  However, I thought that maybe someone might be looking for embellishment storage ideas.... so I am sharing my wall o'spice because it could just as easily be a wall o'scrappin goodies.

And the glass jars that the Penzey's spices came in?

Martha Stewart Glitter in Spice Jars

They went into my crafting area!  They are a good size to put glitter in.  I find it very difficult to put leftover glitter back in the little vial in which the glitter comes packaged.  Someone may be wondering why I didn't just skip the spice idea and go straight to glitter in the Rajtan jars?  That would have been too easy.  This circuitous route was more fun. And I love the new spice 'rack' in the kitchen.

Does anyone else re-organize periodically? Or is it just me?

Thank you for stopping by today!
Beverly

Faithbooking Friday!

I am so excited to announce a new class that I am teaching that starts today and is FREE!  This has been in the works for quite some time.  It seemed like it took me forever to figure out how to be able to offer this to EVERYONE who might be interested.  So, without further ado....  Please welcome my new baby:

Faithbooking For All

Most 'lessons' require the use of a journal.  This video shows examples of a few types of journals and then offers a tutorial on how to cover a memo pad to make a pretty journal.

The class only 'meets' once a week on FaithbookingForAll.blogspot.com, so posts should continue pretty much as usual here.

I would love to see you in class!  Please join me!

Have a Fabulous Friday!

Beverly

Harvest Happiness Ornaments Video

Gift Bow/Topper or Ornament

These pretty decorations are made by stamping images onto corresponding cut shapes, folding them and gluing them into 3 dimensional shapes.  Here is a video tutorial showing how to make them:

The stamp shapes for Harvest Happiness correspond with the Art Philosophy cartridge.  The shapes on the posts here and here correspond with the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  Once you know the procedure, you can use any shape that you like!

CTMH Harvest Happiness Stamp Set

The ornaments can be hung up or used to decorate gifts.

15 Shapes Cut From Cricut Art Philosophy

Embellishments in the center offer another place to show your creativity.  Add bling, buttons, ribbons, twine, beads, etc. either with glue or foam tape.

CTMH Burlap Ribbon

If you have any questions please leave me a comment or feel free to email me at StampinBev@msn.com

Thank you for visiting!
Beverly