A Total Case...well, almost!

On Mondays Heather puts up a sketch to use for cards or scrap pages. You can take her challenge and then post a link in her comments too! So... that's what I'm doing today.

'Course, with my life I never seem able to get a sketch done in the same week she posts. I guess I have too many kids and a hubby that like to rearrange my "to do" list on a regular basis. (Yes, I'm still trying to get that fixed! It seems to be a continual "work in progress!")

This is sketch #20 from April. (Well, that's encouraging! I'm only a month behind now!)

So, I loved Heather's sketch SO much, I just wanted to copy it outright....but here's what happened...

Oops! I don't have the Rose Garden set yet. Hmm...well, the flowers in Treasure It are pretty close. I'll use that one.

Oh, look! I have some lovely green Bazzil cardstock, already cut in pieces. Dang!..not quite wide enough! Well, waste not...I'll make it work!

Ribbon...no wide pink ribbon. Now what? Oooo! Look at that pretty lavender ribbon from the Dollar store I haven't even used yet! Surely I have some cardstock to match! Yup! Bazzil Blue-Violets blend very nicely, AND now I don't have to figure out a coordinating color for the sentiment. Whew!

Now to stamp! Landscape and French Lilac look like they blend perfect! Second generation for the lighter colors I think, that will keep it coordinated nicely.

It looks like Heather scored around her flower...hard to see in the photo, but it's there. My flower is larger, not quite enough room for that...well, I'll pierce the offset corners instead. That will still add some interest. Ready to glue the elements!

EEEWWWW!

Don't like the way THAT looks. Oh yeah, that's right, my green is shorter than Heather's....What can I do? (Can you hear the paper shuffling in the background?)

That's better! I'll just move the sentiment to the top of the flower and line up the green on green and the purple on purple better. Much nicer!

There you have it! A total case...okay...well, almost. Different color, slightly different sized pieces, but you get it, right? That's pretty darned close, eh?

How do you do it?

So, where do I get all those creative ideas? Same way everyone else does....I copy, case, stamplift, change elements, maybe make an idea better or just more personalized. You get the idea...

Anyway, today I thought I'd share my thought process on the last couple cards I created. I warn you, my mind is a scary place!

Remember the ship card yesterday? I had some extra paper cut and was getting bored with the ship, so I decided to switch out stamps.

Gotta love those cows from An 'Udder Birthday. They always make me smile!

Well, it looked goofy with the cow on the bottom so up to the top of the card he went.

That looks a little plain still. Hey! Let's add some sunshine! That works.

The yellow ribbon was way too subdue....switch to green! That cow just doesn't look like the scalloped circle type...Hmmm....Oooo! Look! A lovely scrap of glossy green! Darn, now the saying pops too much. Well...maybe if I layer it under the ribbon? Yea! That works! Kind of bulky though....I'll just slice that little piece off. Much better! Voila! Card complete!

So, if you compare yesterday's card and the cow card you can see I started with the same layout (or card sketch.) I even used the same papers and just switched out stamps! When the elements don't seem to work....just switch them around a bit... Top to bottom, bottom to top... you get the idea now, eh?

Now check out this card!! I took a page from Heather's book, so to speak, and was inspired by my scraps! (For those of you who don't already know...Heather is the QUEEN of creative and definitely a "trash to treasure" expert, not to mention one of my inspiration heros!)

How do you like that scalloped edge? Those are the pieces I cut off the tags from the cow card!! Yup, that's right! You just never know when a scrap will make a whole new idea. That lovely green accent piece behind the main image? Guess what that came from?....yes, the same scrap I used to punch the circles for the cow card. Now that piece is all used up!

I could have just used another cow stamp, but somehow the green on this just said ...frog! And check out that fabulous ribbon! One of my closeout bargains from Wally world! Too perfect, huh? So, this card took all of 10 whole minutes to make, if even that long!

Tomorrow I'll show you a TOTAL case....

Ship card...with help!

Here is a card that was inspired by a card on someone's blog (sorry!! I didn't keep track of who it was.) I thought it was an interesting layout with the pattern paper on the top and the stamped image on the bottom so I had to try the layout for myself and this is what I came up with. I think the trick is to be able to fill the space on the bottom of the card.
SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Pull Up Anchor
Medium blue cardstock, decorative paper
colored pencils, OPT

How do you like my helper? Simba, also known as my scrappy cat, decided to "help me out" last night. He is such a nut! Usually he likes to steal my chair but last night he was rather interested in my work. He was very considerate not to plop down right in the center of my work area. 'Course, my desk is a bit cleaner than normal so he was able to find a little corner to curl up in. (I usually end up with a small 8x8 space that I'm trying to work in!) Although, he kept reaching over attempting to steal my pencils as if he was planning on using them. HA! No opposable thumbs, Simba, coloring would be difficult for you!

Our Yellowstone trip is coming up very soon, but I've planned out some blog entries while we will be gone to keep you entertained. Some of them will be swap cards, as the recipients should have theirs by then and some will be my catalog creation submissions! I have not heard anything from TAC, so I am assuming none of my submissions made it into the new catalog. But just in case, I wanted to wait to show you until the actual catalogs were released.

Class Updates:
TAC-nique Tuesday coming up on June 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Learn 2 techniques, make instruction pages and 2 cards all for only $5!
Stamp Camp Wednesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. - Pencil organizer, CD case photo holder, post-it note holder. Don't forget you will need your Crystal Light canisters for this project! $15 - RSVP by Monday, June 9.

New Catalog Open House
Saturday, July 12, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Don't miss your opportunity to view the new catalog and do a couple Make&Take items with new stamp sets! Drop in anytime! Bring a new friend and get a prize!

Heather's Sketch Challenge 5/12/08

Heather posts a sketch challenge every Monday on her blog. I've been planning on doing these every week for about 6 months now but have never really managed to get it done. This particular one inspired me as I knew I had some ChaCha paper scraps that were almost the size needed for the sketch. I've had this card in my head for 12 days and finally got it done, took the pic, and now...posting it!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Salsa Flowers, Running Stitches, Be Still

ChaCha paper & cardstock

Chalk pencils

I have been working on swap cards but I will wait to post those. I don't want to spoil the surprise for the recipients.

Now I just need to get back to the basement!

AD: Spring/Summer '08 discontinued list...

Heads up, ladies!! Here is the big list! If there are ANY stamps that are on this list and on your "I gotta have it" wish list...NOW is the time to get them or they will be gone forever!! (Links have been created for each set.)

Page Set # and Name:
14 T-2360 Wedding Wishes
17 T-2809 You're A Hoot
18 T-2774 Remembrance
19 T-2755 F is for Family
21 T-2321 Blossom Builders
26 T-2746 A God Thing
27 T-2283 Fanciful Flowers
27 T-2301 Truly Blessed
31 T-2605 Beautiful Place
32 T-2639 Stipple Bet
33 T-2566 Tip Toe
33 T-2569 Write It
34 T-2650 Forget Not
36 T-2660 Abundance Is
37 T-2573 Distressed Designs
37 T-2325 Hip Hardware
38 T-2406 Heart-itude
38 T-2823 You Are Mine
40 T-2370 His Angels
40 T-2615 Live Inspired
41 T-2375 Little Inspirations
41 T-2874 My Spiritual Journey
43 T-2661 Nurture Your Soul
43 T-2643 Old Friend
45 T-2649 Needed Numbers
45 T-2288 So Silly
50 T-2327 The Buzz
51 T-2357 Pals
51 T-2353 Sassy Cats
53 T-2333 All Season Skinnies
53 T-2334 More Season Skinnies
54 T-2328 Hang Loose
55 T-2656 Beach Fun
56 T-2619 Don't Bug Me
56 T-2560 Lily Pad Pond
61 T-2152 So Girly Swirly
67 T-2358 Birthday Buggies
68 T-2858 Party Notes
69 T-2202 Calendar
69 T-2728 Happy Celebration
69 T-2548 Mini Sampler
69 T-2690 Party Time
69 T-1205 Wishing You
69 T-1203 You're Invited
75 T-2680 Animal Blocks
75 T-2683 Playful Paisley
75 T-2712 Sentimental Boxes
76 T-2611 Friendly Note
76 R-2027 Pretty Posies
80 T-2265 Be
81 T-2124 Diva Dresses
81 T-2578 My Favorites
81 T-1232 Rub A Dub
85 T-2540 Ragdolls
86 T-211 Be Authentic
87 T-306 Chicken Scratch
87 T-2769 He Said She Said
87 T-2221 Sweet Sayings
88 T-2821 My Story
88 T-2695 Swirly Seasons
90 T-2623 Friendly Goblins
90 T-2788 Retro Halloween
90 T-2789 Retro Treaters
91 T-2562 Fangtastic
92 T-2604 Autumn Smiles
92 T-2791 Giggly Goblins
92 T-2794 Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
92 T-2800 The First Thanksgiving
92 T-2602 Too Spooky
95 T-441 Faith Hope Love
95 T-2618 The Only Thing
99 T-2515 Buggie Christmas
100 T-237 May Your Merry
100 T-2797 Retro Christmas
100 T-2787 Retro Reindeer
101 T-2713 Happy Holiday Squares
102 T-2704 License To Chill


Also take a minute and check out the other May specials going on right now. If you like the original Soar-With-It collections packs, you will definitely want to check out the Perfect Palette for Pennies special. It's perfect paper for heading into summer for all your papercrafting needs and don't forget about all those fabulous tags and letter stickers!!
Why not get an album done in minutes? Or maybe even TWO! Click here to see the Matchbooks and the special limited edition stamp set only available till June 16th!
And who can possibly resist the Big On Fun limited edition sets? These are a great deal and WAY too cute not to get all 4!!
Don't forget about the stamp of the month and the vintage sets available during May.

Okay, enough for all the advertisement stuff. Would you believe I'm still trying to get my basement picked up after the Stamp Camp? I'm telling you, there are days that my time is just NOT my own...like everyday for the last week it would seem! Aaarrrggghhh!!! I need my craft time!!! I'll get some stuff posted as soon as I can...don't give up on me!

April...er, May Stamp Camp!

Photos of the goodies we made at the Stamp Camp! First two are a Bind-it-All card keeper. We used chip board to make the covers and large envelopes for the months. Julie showed me one she made last February. I just got the pic posted first! Too cute, huh? It was a labor intensive project, especially when we were sharing only one piece of equipment!! Yowza!!


So, the other projects are easy-breezy! Check out the cute flower pin! We used the mega scalloped circle punch with white shrink plastic, stamped with palette inks, heated (or should I say melted?) with a heat gun and ...bingo, bango...instant pin. Lisa and Christy made theirs with the cows from An 'udder Birthday. Should have got pics of those cuz they were absolutely adorable!! I bet you can't tell that the orange are 2nd & even 3rd generation stamped! Just a reminder that colors really intensify when they are shrunk!!


The blue birthday box is a 2-5-7-10 box. So, score-cut-stamp-fold-punch and GO! Really easy project, especially with a Scor-Pal! We used the Extreme white gel pen to make the dots, but I have to share that they don't POP as much as I would have liked. I'll have to find out what works best for brilliant white dots. Maybe a paint marker? Hmmmm..... If you know, let me in on the secret!!


We also made a matchbox mini book copied tit for tat from Heather's blog entry on Feb. 13. WAY too cute for words!!! Check it out here.


That should give you enough to ponder for the weekend, which is when I hope to be creating more stuff to post next week!!

Teacher treats

I thought you could all use a few more photos. I'm still running behind on some things but I'm hoping to catch up soon! Thanks to another blogger for the reminder a while back on Teacher Appreciation Day/Week, and thanks to Julie for the idea. Here is a photo of the little treat we sent to the elementary school teachers the kids had this year. Not too much, not too fancy, just a little reminder we appreciate all they do!

I used the retired SchoolTime set along with the current Kinder-bet, GWP swirl and the Ordinary Greetings. The packet is an "Energizing" tea mix. Now what teacher wouldn't want a little more energy?

Angelhood #1

Check it out! I've joined with other TAC angel's sharing and creating items especially focused on displaying our TAC work and art. These gals should give lots of creative inspiration and fantastic ideas for using TAC paper, products and STAMPS!! Page down the right column and check out the other 9 participants in #1 and you can also check out the Paperwings Gallery also! (Just click on the logo to go right to the gallery.) Right now Angelhood #3 is in the works so, be on the lookout for more "Angelhoods" and more creative gals sharing their awesome work!

"Squash" book tutorial...

This will be my very first tutorial...so bear with me! (Not all the photos and text look exactly the way I intended...sorry.) You'll have to post some advice in the comments section and let me know what you think and what I can improve! I'm calling this a "squash" book because, by definition, it should fold flat when closed, which it does, and expand when opened, which it also does.
Remember you can click on the photo for a larger view if you need it.

Basic Supplies: 4 sheets of square paper (double sided is nice, but not necessary) Scor-pal, 12" Cutter, Scissors, Aggressive adhesive (Wonder tape shown here)

You may also need: ink pads, stamps, ribbon, and Mono-adhesive for decoration & embellishments.

I'm using Catelynne, 9" paper from TAC's Fly with it collection. You will want to score on the back side of your paper in the center. So, for 6" paper score at 3", for 9" score at 4 1/2", for 12" score at 6 and so forth and so on...you get the idea! Now flip your paper 90 degrees and score in the center again.

Crease your folds and your paper will look like this.

Flip your paper over & cut from the front so you can see which way your decorative paper will go. You'll notice the paper has 4 quadrants now. Upper left, Upper right, lower left, and lower right. Your upper quadrants will be the pages in your book. The lower quadrants will be cut down and will become the base of the book when it is opened.

Cut between your lower sections right in the center from the middle to the bottom. After your cut, turn your paper 90 degrees to the right. That will put the right edge on the bottom for the next step.

You need to leave a flap on the lower right quadrant for the adhesive that holds each section together. I line up the folded edge on the 1" line of the cutter. It is best to fold over the lower left to keep it out of the way.

Now, on the flap you just created, use your scissors to cut away small triangles on both sides of the flap from the new bottom edge.

Here is what your paper should look like now!

Now you will cut away the triangle from the lower left quadrant. Your cut will be from the center left to center bottom.

To score the lower left quadrant triangle so it folds up into your

book when closed, place the edge of the triangle against the top of your Scor-pal. The tip of your triangle needs to be lined up with a gutter (here I'm using the one at the 5" mark) and then score the triangle section and crease.

Here is a photo of your paper now

along with all the pieces that were cut off. Use all these scraps to decorate your front & back covers and your inside pages!!

Decorate your pages NOW while they are still flat!
Remember you will have four sections for your book (or 8 pages). The back side of page 1 will be your front cover, and the back side of page 8 will the the back cover. You can incorporate a space for a ribbon closure or a clip to hold or tie your book closed or open, but I would wait to adhere ribbon until all the pages of the book are adhered together.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I will keep going...

If you are NOT using double-sided paper, you will probably want to ink the folds that will become your books binding.

To adhere each section, put adhesive (1/2" wonder tape is shown here) on the lower right flap. Line up the triangle of the lower left quadrant along the flap fold and press down to adhere. Check the back side to see if the triangles need to be trimmed to ensure your book will close easily.

Ta Daaaa!!! Now we have 4 sections ready to put together! Make sure your edges are even and your folds are crisp. You only need to apply adhesive to all four edges of ONE side.

Here's how it goes...back side of page 2 gets stuck to the back side of page 3, back side of page 4 to back of page 5, back of 6 to back of 7. Got all that?

Okay, here is a photo or two. Adhesive was put on the back page 3. I lined these up from the top and side edges, the unfolded sides.

Here are the 2 sections together. Just add on the next two!

After all the pages are put together, you will be left with the front

& back covers. Adhere your ribbon while the book is closed to prevent page buckling.

Photos of the book open & closed:

That's the basics! Adapt and create however you want! You could add another section if you want if more star shaped or if you are not planning on decorating the bottom pieces. For my Yell0wstone book on the previous post, I had SO many pics I put some on the bottom also.

It's all up to you!! Let me know what you think!!

Yellowstone "Squash" book

Can you see the binder clip in these photos? (Remember, you can click on them for a larger view if you'd like.)I'm using it to hold the book open since I have not completed the front & back covers yet. The plan is to use a ribbon to tie it closed, or open. The book will lay flat when closed. Here you can see it open. Cool, huh? Dalene from A Scrapbooker's Dream in Delta showed me how to put this together. Last year Carl & I took off WITHOUT the kids on a brief trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. So, finally I have put together a mini book of some of the photos we took. We had such good luck with wildlife viewing I hope we have a similar experience this year when we go back "kids in tow." Printing out the photos certainly helped to get everyone revved up to go, so let's say it was a blessing I didn't get around to it till now!
I am also happy to report I have figured out a way to print my photos in a variety of sizes using my photo printer and MSPublisher. At least I'm happy with it! How do you like the stamping in photo 2? Nice pics of DH too which is RARE!! He's one of those people that absolutely HATES to have his photo taken.

Reverse Pastels & Wax Paper Resist

I'm getting smarter about taking the photos and downloading. It's a learning curve I suppose. Hopefully someday I'll be at the better end of it! I took these outside in direct daylight on our picnic table! Much better than trying to snap photos in the cave where, let's face it, there is very limited daylight at best!!
Anyway, as promised, the cards we created at last Tuesday's Tech class. The tiger is done with Reverse pastels. Pretty cool, huh? The background pieces are a silver metallic and some really cool texture paper! Love the look, hate how it is so difficult to adhere!! The YES glue seemed to work okay I suppose. I was trying to use Red & Black & come up with a sketch I liked since Paonia graduation will be coming up soon and DD will need cards for friends. Still working on it...
Supplies: Tiger Face, Versamark pad, Noir palette pad, White cardstock, Red Textured Cardstock, Silver metallic cardstock, black organza ribbon

The background on this card is done with Wax paper resist. Nice look, huh? You can tell its on glossy paper from the reflection. I had another stamp in mind for this card, but after I worked so hard on the background I wanted more to show and switched to the bluejay. (It was really a lot of work, huh, Nancy & Christy!! *wink**wink*) It's okay, but I still would have liked more background to show. Love the swirly clip though! Looks nice with the ribbon!
Supplies: All Things of Nature, Blue cardstock, Glossy cardstock, White cardstock, Chalks, Noir palette pad, Starry Night palette pad, Blue breeze K-pad, spiral clip, blue organza ribbon

Felt fun!

Well...I know I promised pics of last Tuesday's techniques, but since life has a way of interevening on my creative time (damn) I didn't get stuff done like I would have liked. (Hopefully you'll only have to wait one more day.) I don't suppose anyone else has the problem of making a "to do" list and then having it completely obliterated by DH and his list. Hmm... weren't "Honey do" lists created by women for MEN to do?? Seems to be backwards in my household....I'll have to fix that!!
Some of you will recognize photo #1 from Mischelle's TAC Savvy Projects blog. (I try not to be distracted by all the colorful words she adds for emphasis which I always think are links!)
After she posted her flip-flop book, I went on the hunt to see if I could find them. Obviously, I did!! (Thanks, Hobby Lobby) BUT, check out what else I found!! The pink felt "M" was a package of 2 "felt ornaments." TOO cute for words, huh? And, only a dollar! So, I got a set for each one of my daughters! The Pop Rockz collection is definitely goint to be put to work with these! Now I just need to get the books done, huh? I also picked up a set of 4 flower coasters. I am challenging myself, and a buddy, to create something with 2 of the coasters. Now, of course they will make a nice cover and back for a fabulous mini book. I'm racking by brain to see if I can create something else though.... Stay tuned! I'll post & show y'all what I come up with later! Oooo! A thought just came to me!!!!!

Another prop swap

Isn't this just the CUTEST wall hanging? Obviously I liked it so much I had to print out photos quick to put in it!! This came from Diana M. Do you want to see creativity? Check out her site!! She also sent this really lovely 6x6 card. Talk about smart! This is going to become a fabulous scrap layout. How great is that?

Nancy, Christy and I had a great time last night for Tech night. (I'll get around to posting the cards tomorrow after I snap the pics.) I shared a mini book I made of the trip Carl & I made to Yellowstone last year & then showed them the basics of how to put it together. It's sort of a squash book. We were having so much fun we just couldn't stop!

They reserved for Stamp Camp also, and, if you haven't done that yet give me a holler! I want to make sure I have supplies ready for you!

Prop Swap items...

Here is a photo of the items I received in a prop swap by mail in early April. I received these from Angela K. Isn't everything just FABULOUS!?! She make it special for me with Miss Moxie paper. Perhaps we'll have to make the mini tin purse scrapbook in a Stamp Camp? Hmmm...

You know, it just dawned on me that you all do not get "post updates" until the day after I actually post unless you are checking the site daily. So...sorry about being a day late in reminding about TAC-nique Tuesday tonight....er....last night, depending on when you are reading this. How about a reminder about next Stamp Camp instead? April's make up Stamp Camp will be Wednesday, May 14 7:00 p.m. Please, Please, Please be SURE that you have given me your RSVP by Sunday the 11th.

Unsubmitted "Catalog Creation" Card

Here is a card I made out of scraps with the intention of submitting it to TAC. For the catalog call, we were required to follow some card sketches, so, this followed the sketch pretty darn closely. Pretty simple, huh? I like the tag! I didn't want to alter it too much because I like the flower in the corner & wanted it to stand out. I used the dye strip flowers from the bottom of the paper as an emellishment here. The ribbon and the large eyelet added just the right touch to finish it off! The idea came from one of Heather's card sketches from Feb. (If you haven't visited her site...it's a MUST!!)

Supplies: Cha Cha paper, Cha Cha cardstock, L'amare Red Palette pad, Noir Palette pad, Cha Cha hardware, Cha Cha ribbon.

On a personal note: Just when I think I'm finally getting back in groove with life... something else hits me. I have to admit, with Mother's Day looming in the near future, it has put me off balance. It will be my first without my mom. I just didn't think stuff like that would affect me so much. Due to her Alzheimer's, I've always felt like I lost my mom years ago, but maybe it's harder because now it's really final. My DH tells me that I still need to celebrate since I am a mom. It fells different for me though. It's like the "passing of the torch" has happened and I'm not ready to take up the mantle of family matriarch. Well...thanks for listening to my ramble...

It's a purse...no...it's a scrapbook!

Isn't this just the cutest? It was a project we did on Paperwings for the online escape last January and I finally got around to making mine! This was also a demo at Lisa's Funshop. This one is done with a 12x12, but I also did one in 8x8 and 6x6 sizes as well. I think the 8x8 is my favorite size, not too big, but not too small.
Well, at least I can say I am finally back to blogging!!
For my locals...TAC-nique Tuesday coming up on May 6 at 7:00. See you there!! You can always join us if you are in the area! Give me a call & let me know your coming so I'll have supplies for everyone. It's lots of fun! Learn 2 techniques, make a sample with a mini instruction sheet on a 4x6 background for your "Technique book" and then make a card with your new skills!! A steal of a deal at only $5 per person!