Friday, June 29, 2012

New Releases at Brownie Scraps

It's new release day at Brownie Scraps.  I have a layout to share today with a new template from Little Bit Shoppe Designs. 



Here are the products I used:

Happy Scrapping!
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Thursday, June 28, 2012

New Release from Meredith Cardall


Meredith Cardall has a new release at Scrap Orchard - Fabulous Fourth.  I used it to scrap Peanut's recent swim lessons.


Happy Scrapping!
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Last Post for Crafter's Companion



Hello all!  Today is my last post for the Crafter's Companion blog.  I've had a great time making projects for Crafter's Companion.  I made this simple card with the Popcorn the Bear Smile Set to celebrate my time there.  Don't you just love those balloons?  I really want to talk about something else today, though - storage!


I'm always trying to find better ways to store my stamps.  When I just had a few, a drawer worked fine. Then I had enough that digging through the drawer didn't work anymore, and I moved some into binders with photo pages to hold the stamps.  I liked this, except that the stamps would fall out of the open tops of the photo pages.  I took advantage of May's Customer Appreciation sale to try out the EZMount Clear Enclosed Mini-Binder and Mini-Binder Storage Panels.  I am in love!

You can store any stamps that have EZ mount or any clear acyrlic stamps in these.  Here's one of mine with Humphrey Stamps:

I just taped the packaging on the front of the page and put the stamps on the back:

Crafter's Companion even sells some stamps all ready for the case, like the Popcorn the bear stamps:

Now, I thought I'd let you into my craft room.  No comments on the mess!  Here is my storage closet.  Hubby put shelves in for me.  You can see my new cases on the bottom shelf.  I can't wait until I have enough cases for all my stamps.


I thought I'd share one more storage trick before I sign off.  I use these storage boxes from tool section at the local big box store to keep my small crafty items like flowers, rhinestones, and buttons.

Happy Crafting!

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Digital Paper Piecing

Warning: Picture heavy post.  May take a while to load.

Hi all!  When I created my Clean and Simple card for the Hybrid Chick Card Caravan, it occurred to me that others might want to know how to paper piece with digital stamps and digital scrapbooking products. Today, I'm using Fairy Celandine from Make it Crafty and Cotton Candy and Lemon Drops by Siamese Studio.  I chose Fairy Celandine because she has large open areas that will be perfect for paper piecing.

To use this tutorial, you'll need Photoshop Elements or similar program.  I'm using PSE 8 on my Mac.

Step 1. Open up the digital stamp that you want to paper piece.

Step 2. Create a new layer (Layer >> New >> Layer >> "OK") and move it underneath the layer that your image is on.

Step 3.  Place the paper that you want to use on the layer that you just created (File >> Place).  Simplify the layer with the paper on it (Layer >> Simplify)

Step 4. Highlight your image layer by selecting it under the layers.  Select the magic wand tool.  Make sure the "Contiguous" selection is clicked along the top bar.  Click on the area(s) that you want to add your digital papers.  For Fairy Celandine, I needed to select multiple areas to grab her whole dress.  To do this, hold down the shift key while you're selecting areas.  You'll get the little marching ants around the areas that you've selected.

Step 5. Press delete to clear the white background from your selected areas.

Step 6. Select the layer with the paper on it.  Invert your selection (Select >> Inverse).  Press delete.  this should delete all the paper that is not in the dress area.  Deselect the area (Select >> Deselect; open apple+D on Mac)

Step 7.  You may have a problem using this technique if the area is not completely closed off with a line.   If this happens you can use your eraser to erase the paper where you don't want it, or you can leave this area white and color it with markers/pencils/etc.

Step 8. Be sure to have the paper layer selected when you erase.

Step 9. Repeat steps 2-8 to add all the papers that you'd like to use to paper piece your image.

I printed my image on Make It Colour paper and colored Celandine's skin and hair with Copics.  Here's my finished card:



You'll notice that the finished card doesn't have the same paper piecing as the tutorial.  I did the digital paper piecing while I was on a trip. When I got home, I went to print the image and I couldn't find it anywhere!  Remember to save and save somewhere that you'll remember.

Supplies Used

Happy Crafting!
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Stitching at the Hybrid Chick

Our challenge this fortnight at The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan is real or faux stitching.  I love using digital scrapping tools to get stitching on my card.  I used Summer Morning, which came with a fantastic set of hexagon stitches, which I used on my card.  I added some digital stitches to the border.  I chose Jasmine by Little Miss Muffet Designs - she's perfect because she's stitched too.  This card makes me feel comforted.


I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
1. Little Miss Muffet #37 - loads of layers/anything goes w/ LMM image - I'm not sure if this counts for loads of layers, but it's definitely LMM.
3. Crafts and Me #89 - anything goes
4. 2 Sisters #97 - anything goes


Here are the products I used:

Happy Crafting!
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Saturday, June 23, 2012

CIC #166 Sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps

It's time for a new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations. We're going to the beach with Bugaboo Stamps.  Here's our inspiration cupcake:

I went patriotic with my card using the beach theme and red, white and blue.  I used Isabella at the beach with digi papers left over from my last Hybrid Chick card.  I added some ribbons and a flower to finish off my card.


I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
1. Sketch Saturday #213 - sketch
2. Top Tip #79 - Independence Day or stars
3. Charisma Cardz #24 - summer
4. Raise the Bar #107 - Hello Summer!
5. Card Makin' Mamas #48 - red, white, and blue

Here are the products I used:

Happy Crafting!
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Friday, June 22, 2012

New Releases at Brownie Scraps

It's new release day at Brownie Scraps.  I redid an old layout with a template from Little Bit Shoppe Deisgns.  Here's my new layout:


Here's the layout I redid.  You can see it was before I knew anything about shadowing.  I don't have credits for this old layout - apologies!

Here are the products I used for my layout:

Happy Scrapping!
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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Art Kure Notecards for Hubby

Today, I'm sharing notecards on the Crafter's Companion Information Blog.  My amazing and wonderful hubby is always looking for flat cards that are easy to mail.  He's the thank you note writer in our family and he really doesn't like cards with pokey-up bits like flowers, buttons, ribbons....you get the picture.  When I saw the new Art Kure stamps,  I knew they'd be perfect to make a set of notecards that would be perfect for hubby.

I made cards with two simple designs in masculine colors.  For the first set, I stamped the tree stamps on  kraft paper in portrait orientation and mounted them with slate blue cardstock.  I made a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card out of kraft paper.  You can make two cards from one letter sized sheet of paper.  You can stamp all for stamps on one sheet of kraft and make the framing cardstock from one other sheet.  Total you'll use 4 sheets of cardstock for these cards.


For the other set, I used four of the scenic stamps to create cards that are landscape orientation.  I stamped the images on the same slate blue cardstock that I used to frame the tree stamps.  I framed them with kraft paper and made cards from the slate blue cardstock.


Hubby was happy to see the cards.  I'm sure he'll get a lot of use out of them.  If you're late on your Father's Day gifts this year, this is a quick and easy gift for your favorite note writer.

Happy Crafting!

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Cupcake Inspirations #164 Sponsored by The Twinery

We're welcoming a new sponsor this week at Cupcake Inspirations.

They're offering this amazing prize to our lucky winner!

We're all tied up with inspiration this week:

These cupcakes just screamed Father's Day card to me and I really needed to get one made for my hubby.  I chose Edwin with glasses since he reminds me of my darling.  I wanted to make a masculine card, so I went with twine and buttons for my accents.  The sentiment is from Crafter's Companion.


I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
1. Fab 'n Funky #125 - Father's Day
2. Paperplay #24 - for a man with twine
3. Charisma Cardz #23 - male cards
4. Do You Stack Up #76 - boys/men
5. Dream Valley #34 - for that special guy

Happy Crafting!

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Friday, June 15, 2012

Backyard Explorer by geniaBeana

geniaBeana has a new release at ScrapMatters today - Backyard Explorer.  Perfect for your summer pictures!



Credits


Happy Scrapping!
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New Releases at Brownie Scraps

It's new release day at Brownie Scraps and I have some layouts to share with you.





Here are the products I used:

Happy Scrapping!
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Yummy Layout


Credits
Speed Scrap Prize by Memory Clips


Happy Scrapping!
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Thursday, June 14, 2012

New Template Pack from geniaBeana

geniaBeana has a fantastic new template pack at The Digichick.  Perfect for your instagram photos!


Credits


Happy Scrapping!
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Meadow Cottage Bears at Crafter's Companion

Hi all!  Today, I'm sharing a sweet card featuring the new Meadow Cottage Bears on the Crafter's Companion Information Blog.  I used the Happy Birthday set to make a pink card.


I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers.  Here's my cheat sheet:


I chose papers from my stash to match the pink marker colors.  I added pink seam binding, craft pins, and a flower.  I make the craft pins myself with findings from the bead section at your local craft store and a box of pearl beads that had several sizes.  I hot glue the pearls onto the finding and then glue the pin onto the card.  They're very easy to make and your card looks oh so elegant.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
1. Papertake Weekly - 3-2-1 - I used 3 flowers, 2 craft pins, and one ribbon.
2. Craft Your Passion #114 - anything goes

Happy Crafting!

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