Photo Scraps Design Team

Flower Soft Idea

2012-02-08T00:16:00.000-05:00

I just had to take a photo of this calendar page by Ivy Eicher. Flower Soft is usually used by our card makers but she had a vision of how it would look on this Easter Paper by We R Memory Keepers. The colors match perfectly and the Flower Soft really made the trees stand out.

February's Demo Day card and repeat class

2012-02-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Spring, where art thou? Join me and the rest of the Photo Scraps girls on Saturday February 18th from 11 - 3 for our fabulous Demo Day! To bring a little touch of Spring to February's Demo Day, we will be making a floral card at my table (with the beautiful Hero Arts stamp Fleurettes) with colors that I feel evoke early Spring - bright pink and green. These colors make me happy, happy, happy!

And for those who were unable to attend my last class, I am rerunning it on Saturday February 11th from 12 - 3 pm. We will have lots of fun Copic coloring, trying out Distress Stains, making background paper with a technique, and creating some great cards. Seats are already going quickly for this repeat class, so call the store soon to reserve your spot! Kits are not available for this class due to techniques. Here are the cards we will be making:

And lastly, be on the lookout for the Photo Scraps Design Team creations using our pick for February...3 fabulous lines from My Mind's Eye. You have to see these lines in person. They are gorgeous!

Hope to see you soon!

Cindy

Another Altered Box

2012-01-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I know that I promised to show more of the Dare to Share projects this time but we were swamped with shipments of new products. Hopefully, I'll get them in my next email.

In the meantime, here is another gorgeous cigar box. Ginny Cunningham used some of the same techniques that Dale used in the previous post. She used the Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue. I like how she kept the outside of the box neutral and saved the pop of color for the inside.

2012-01-28T01:48:00.002-05:00

I will have more Dare to Share Challenge projects next email. This time one of our customers showed us a fun cigar box. Dale Kaplan made this elegant cigar box. I love how she used the gold paper to create a frame effect. She fussy cut some of the flowers and popped them up for some added dimension.

Puppy Love

2012-01-20T00:02:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's being our Design Team theme this month, I had to think in a more broad sense because I don't usually take pictures for Valentine's Day. I immediately thought of the new love in our family -- our puppy! So, I did a layout I just "love" with my hubby and our new puppy back in the Spring. I designed the layout with the whole thing on the diagonal just to create a different look and to keep your eye moving across the page.

For my base I used my new favorite cardstock color: DARK KRAFT! It complemented my puppy's fur color so he stood out in the pix. Then I used a Fancy Pants Love papers combined with Jillibean Soup embellies. It's so much fun to mix and match. My title "Puppy Love" is an old Jolee's from my stash.

Have you ever used a themed product collection for something a little different? Share it with us! We love to see your work too!!

LOVE STORY layouts by Gina A

2012-01-16T16:02:00.003-05:00

Hi scrapbookers! Happy New Year one and all!

I've had a ball creating these two single-page layouts with this month's Design Team papers from Fancy Pants' LOVE STORY line. I really love the designs and colors and think they are so versatile! I intentially created two different layouts that are not Valentine themed because I think these patterns can be used so many different ways. "4 Ever" is a layout about the fourth anniversary of my husband's kidney transplant. (As an aside, he received a kidney from his sister, my best friend Brent, who is a regular Photoscraps customer so you may have met her at a crop or two!) This layout came together quickly using the LOVE STORY pattern papers. I embellished with the wallet-size designs from the "card" page and some buttons and stickers from my stash. The second layout was created with a scrap of leftover pattern paper combined with a piece of cardstock and embellished with some felt flowers, a small piece of ribbon, some ticket stubs and a journal card (flower shaped) also from my stash. (You can easily find equally cute substitutes among the current inventory at Photoscraps!) BTW, even though the subject for this page is a boy (my great-nephew... isn't he a cutie?!?!?) I found that the flower embellishments still worked - grouped together they create a solid pattern for the eye - and combined with the chosen colors the page doesn't look too feminine. I've often had ladies tell me they can't use flowers because they only have sons...look at this example and challenge yourself to use a traditionally "feminine" embellishment on your next "male" themed page. Then bring it in on a Monday night... I'd love to see your results!!!

Happy Scrapping everyone!
Gina A.

New card class with Hero Arts

2012-01-13T22:50:00.001-05:00

Join me Saturday January 28th from 12 - 3 pm for an all new card class featuring Hero Arts stamps. We will use a mix of new and older Hero Arts images to create 5 cards. Get ready to ink, stamp, spritz, emboss, and do some Copic coloring! Make sure to bring sharp scissors since we will be doing a little detail cutting.

This class will NOT be available as a kit due to techniques.

Please bring the following Copics with you if you own them:

BG11
BG13
Y19
Y21
YG13

I look forward to seeing you soon!
Cindy

Elisabeth Crafts Cards from Lois Butts

2012-01-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

One of our wonderful customers, Lois Butts, shared some of her card creations with us. She has taken the Elizabeth Crafts classes with Tawni. Now, Lois has been making lots of great cards to send to her friends and luckily she shared them with us.

Holiday wishes from Gina A!

2012-01-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

Didn't have much time for blogging in these past weeks leading up to Christmas, but I was busy creating! Stop in the store soon to see the sample treat bag and luminaria candle (in the mason jar) that I made. These are samples of some of the same small treats/gifts I gave this Christmas. Tracy is also adding the photo here of the decoupage frame I made for my daughter this year. I used one of our TPC Studio chipboard frames. I altered it using some black and white papers from my stash and from the new Basic Grey "Little Black Dress" line. After the modge-podge dried I added a finish of Glossy Accents and I love the result! This is an easy idea for you to "scraplift" for yourself or your own gift-giving occasions in 2012.

Speaking of 2012... I hope all of you enjoy a happy, healthy, successful new year! It has been my pleasure getting to know so many of you from my shift-work and classes. I hope to see many of you often in the new year!

Happy New Year!
Gina A.

Love Is In The Air

2012-01-07T08:47:00.003-05:00

Can you feel it? Love is in the air at Photo Scraps this month. The Design Team will be bringing you creations from not just one paper line, but from several lines that we have in store for Valentine's Day. Our theme this month is Love and Valentine's Day. The papers we are using are just beautiful and colorful, some with playful patterns, some with fantastic text patterns, and you will be sure to love them all!

I have made 4 cards so far. I think these cards are great examples of how a person can create in several different styles. The cards I have made range from cute to clean and simple to easy elegance. I feel that I have lots of styles I like to create in, but at the core of my creating are some things that never change: layers (I love lots of layers), ribbon (almost always a must), and bling (gotta have it). How many styles do you create it?

My first 2 cards feature the ever adorable Flopsey and a fantastic patterned paper from Fancy Pants. Even though I used the same stamp and even the same paper, I wanted to show you how different cards can look when you change up colors and patterns. Each card uses one side of the Fancy Pants paper. I love when papers are double-sided - it's like getting more bang for your buck! Flopsey has been colored with Copic markers and then each of her chocolates has something different...Rock Candy Stickles on the pink card (looks like her truffles have been dusted with sugar IRL) and Glossy Accents on the red card to make her truffles shine.

My next card is of the Clean and Simple (CAS) variety and I just realized that it does not include any stamping at all (a rareity for me)! The paper is from We R Memory Keepers "Love Struck" line. This card will be available to make at an upcoming Wacky Wednesday. Isn't it sweet?

My last card is a good example of easy and elegant. The roses were created from MFT's Rolled Roses die and wool-blend felt (the same felt I showed you at Demo Day in November for making poinsettias). The sentiment is also from MFT and can be found on one of their Inspired By Flowers sets. This patterned paper is also from We R's "Love Struck" line. It's flip side has great words all over it and I can't wait to make something with that.

Remember to stop by the Design Team section of the store to see all our creations in person and to pick up these terrific papers.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

Frame Inspirations

2012-01-04T00:19:00.003-05:00

Since we don't have any Valentine creations yet, here are a couple of bits of frame inspiration to tide you thru. First up is Gina Adolph. She made this cool decoupaged frame for her daughter for Christmas. She used one of my favorite techniques, tearing paper. I love the Little Black Dress papers that she layered in a seemingly random pattern. The black and cream tones work great with her daughters photo.

Next we have a cute frame from Gina Painter. Her daughter had her whip up some fun frames for her friends for Christmas. My daughter loved this one so much, she copied it and gave it to one of her friends for Christmas too. Gina used the Fancy Pants Beach Babe line. Using the same paper line that matched her embellishments made this frame a snap to make. We carry a variety of sizes and shapes of these chipboard frames from ANW Creswood.

January's Demo Day card

2011-12-30T19:07:00.001-05:00

Wow, only one more day left of 2011! It is hard to believe that another 365 days has flown by so quickly, but I am looking forward to 2012 and all that it will bring.

The first Demo Day of 2012 will be happening on Saturday, January 14th from 11 - 4 pm. As always, we will have fantastic projects for you to create and we will help guide you through them. My card will use a stamp from MFT (My Favorite Things) though I will also bring along some basic sentiments that could be used instead, and a gorgeous paper from Basic Grey's Little Black Dress line (which I think Gina A gave a shout out about in another post) - this paper line is stunning!

One of my objectives when creating cards is to use layouts that can be used over and over again for many different occasions. The card I've created for Demo Day is one of those kinds of cards.

On a personal note, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that I have gotten to know over the past few years of working and teaching at Photo Scraps. So many of you have become friends and I feel so blessed to be able to share doing something that I love with so many people. You have inspired and encouraged me, and I hope that I have given that back to you. I look forward to seeing you throughout 2012.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Cindy

Holiday greetings from Gina A!

2011-12-27T13:51:00.002-05:00

Hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season!

I didn't have much time for blogging in these last weeks leading up to Christmas because I was busy CREATING! Stop in the store soon to see the sample treat bag and luminaria jar (in the mason jar) that I gave as gifts this year. Tracy is also posting a photo here of the frame I decoupaged for my daughter. I used one of our TPC Studio chipboard frames and altered it with black and white papers from my stash and the new Basic Grey "Little Black Dress" line (if you haven't seen this yet we have a beautiful selection in the store!) After the modge-podge dried I added a finish of Glossy Accents and I love the result! This is a good example of an idea you could "scraplift" for yourself or your gift-giving occasions in the new year.

And speaking of new years... I wish each of you a happy, healthy and successful 2012! It has been my pleasure to meet and get to know so many of you during my shifts in the store, as students in my classes, and/or as fellow crafters at the many Photoscraps Crops throughout the past year. I hope to see all of you often in 2012!

Happy new year!
Gina A.

NEW CLASS: Flopsey Cards

2011-12-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Join me Saturday January 7th from 12 - 3 pm for my first class of 2012! We will be making 5 cards using the absolutely adorable Flopsey stamps from My Favorite Things. Flopsey is the cutest bunny stamp out there and is my personal favorite design of all the lines created by MFT. We will be doing lots of Copic coloring and some detail cutting so make sure to bring your sharp scissors along. Several cards use Glossy Accents (aka Diamond Glaze) as well, so if you own that product please bring it along too.

If you have your own Copics, please bring them with you. Here is a list of colors we will be using:

N0
B02, B05, B21, B91
YG23
W1
R27, R83
BG10, BG15
C1
YR04, YR18
E23, E29, E31, E33
RV34

This class will be available as a kit if you are unable to attend in person. Please let the store know you will need a kit when you call to register for the class.

I wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Cindy

Where has the time gone?

2011-12-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

Wow, only a week until Christmas! Where has the time gone? It seems as if November and most of December have just disappeared in a flash. It hit me today that I had completely forgotten to post some of the Design Team cards I made using the fabulous Winter Twig from Little Yellow Bicycle. This paper line is just terrific, from it's patterns and colors to it's slight texturing on the papers.

One of my cards I was happy with, the other did not turn out the way I had pictured it but I wanted to show it to you anyway. We all have those projects that we are not quite thrilled with once completed, but don't dislike them enough to throw them away. Believe me, I've had my share of throw-aways...if you could only see the trashcan under my desk right now. Can you guess which card I was not quite happy with?

My first card uses the front and back side of one piece of paper. I added the sentiment (Hero Arts) in brown, edged the entire card with white Staz-On to give it a snowy look (ruined my pad...here's a tip...don't ink edges directly with the white Staz On ink pad...use a dauber), and finished it with a snowflake cut from wool-blend felt and a Spellbinders die and another snowflake cut from Best Creations glitter paper (gorgeous!) then a ribbon and some twine colored with a Copic marker to finish it off. One of the great things about Copics is that you can custom color your embellishments to match your projects.

My second card uses the beautiful bird stamp from Hero Arts and wood grain paper from Winter Twig. I turned the patterned paper so that it was running horizontally. The stamp was heat embossed with Stampendous white embossing powder (my favorite white EP), then stamped the sentiment in Faded Jeans Distress ink and popped it up on a little flag. Some bling finishes off the card.

If I don't see you before the holidays, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Everything that you may celebrate at this time of year!

Cindy

winter twig

2011-12-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

If you are like me, you may not be ready for snow yet, but just like Christmas, it will be here before you know it! And if you are like me, you already have snow pictures from our freak storm on October 29th! So it is a good thing we have already got a new winter line from LYB called winter twig. I used 3 different paper prints and a variety of embelishments from this line to make my 2 page spread. I also used color box ink in blue lagoon (my fav.) to distress edges of white cardstock to make them pop off the page. While getting design inspiration from a magazine, I read an article about "clustering". You may already do this and not know there was a term for your design! It consists of grouping things (like photos, words, or embelishments) together on your page by layering to add balance to a title or ground a journal spot, or even draw the eyes to your photos. I like it because it allows you to use many embelishments together without looking junky! So I went nuts with chip elements, transparancies, cardstock stickers, chip titles, and label stickers! They also have borders and cool snow flakes to add to your projects, even some embelishments with glitter for those of us who like some sparkle! I played with my large variety of embelishments until I got it clustered enough for my eyes to enjoy without being overpowered by stuff on my pages. Remember, there is no wrong way in scrapbooking, only how your eyes like to see things! So try something new, like clustering, I am going to try clustering something else next month!

December's Demo Day card

2011-11-27T15:37:00.001-05:00

Demo Day is one week earlier than usual for the month of December. Join us on Saturday December 10th from 11 - 4 pm for Demo Day!

If you have not been in the past few months, I highly encourage you to come on out and make some great projects. Lines at each table have virtually been eliminated since we have changed up our seating arrangements, so no more waiting to get at your favorite project tables.

Here is the card we will be making at my table. It is quick and easy and the blue/silver/white combination is perfect for winter (which may eventually get here even though several of my daffodils bloomed today). This is a great card for Christmas, Winter, or just the holiday season. You could also use it just to say "hi" to a friend. I will have a few different sentiments on the table, or you can skip the sentiment all together if you like.

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I look forward to seeing you on Demo Day!

Cindy

Snow Fun with Gina A!

2011-11-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Little Yellow Bicycle papers and products - the papers always have such a nice texture/weight to them and the designs are always beautiful BUT I have to admit I wasn't happy to see SNOW THEME paper already!!! I'm a gal who does NOT like winter weather, snow, etc. so I decided to do this layout with a little play on words to show my dislike of snowy weather. I love how my simple layout looks special using the LYB papers and some lacy ribbon. Notice how I highlighted the 'N' 'O' in SNOW on my "Winter is SNOW Fun" title! Even if you don't like the cold wintry weather, you probably have some snowy photos like I did so have some fun creating!
Gina A.

Ice Skating!!

2011-11-21T12:36:00.000-05:00

Oooooo la la, I am loving me some of that Winter Twig line, new from Little Yellow Bicycle!! The many, many shades of blue in these papers are fab--you have got to see them for yourself! I chose pictures from my daughter ice skating and really appreciated that she wore a blue hoodie that day to coordinate oh so well with the papers. (that girl is so thoughtful! heehee) I used a border punch on the left side and some glorious blue glitter paper from Best Creations on this layout also. These pages screamed for bling and so bling it is....lots of blue bling! Hope to see you in the store soon. Lisa H. :)

Cherry Blossoms!!

2011-11-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with this awesome kit from Echo Park called Country Drive; the papers were so darn adorable!! The papers that jumped out the most were the pink and green ones from this kit and I remembered some fun happy pictures we took of our dogs in the front yard in the spring. I just love how this layout turned out....so springy!! The finishing touches on these pages were lots of bling, pop-dots, liquid pearls, buttons and ribbon. Hope you like this layout and it gives you inspiration to scrap some pictures of your pets, or your kids, or just the beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring!! See you soon! Lisa H.

The 3/50 Project - Pick 3. Spend $50.

2011-11-19T22:49:00.001-05:00

The 3/50 Project - Pick 3. Spend $50.

**All it takes is just one person to start a trend...will that person be you?

When you think of the community that you live and shop in, there are 3 very important things you need to consider.
1) What 3 independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared?
Is it us - Scrapbooks Too? What about your mom n' pop grocery store that you "just run into" occasionally for those last minute items? How about the cute little clothing boutique where you bought your favorite outfit? Or the cool little pet supply store on the corner where you got those awesome toys that your animals just adore?

2) Did you know if half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 the employed population did that!

3) Are you aware that for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that money in a national chain store, only $43 stays here. If you shop online, nothing comes home!

The 3/50 project idea is to commit $50 each month to locally owned businesses, total. Maybe that means rethinking where you currently invest your money, opting to pick up that birthday card or pair of jeans in a locally owned business instead of the big box you’ve been going to. Or maybe it means eating out just once a month because you realize slamming the brakes on all spending stalls economic recovery. It’s just that simple.

This Project isn’t an “all or nothing” campaign that insists consumers stop shopping in chains or franchises. Instead, the message is about balance-—of the money you currently spend each month. We simply ask you to redirect an affordable $50 back to the locally owned independent businesses that have been forgotten of late. Just as there are things in a locally owned store that you can’t find in a big box, there are also things in a big box you can’t find in a locally owned store. We simply need to think about where our dollars are best invested, consider the greater amount of revenue local businesses return to the community, then purchase accordingly. Otherwise, local economies suffer irreparable harm - as we have seen lately with lots of empty buildings and stories on the news.

For more information please click on the following link:
www.the350project.net/home.html

New class!

2011-11-17T16:30:00.001-05:00

Join me Saturday December 3rd from 12 - 3 pm for an all new class! This one is Christmas and Winter themed. We will be making a total of 8 cards (2 of each of the 4 designs). We will be coloring with Copics, heat embossing, and having fun making some great cards. We will be doing some detail cutting, so please bring SHARP scissors.

Here is a list of Copic colors in case you wish to bring your own:
B32, YG23, YG17, C7, C5, YR65, R29, R89, R37, Y19

Other items that you can bring if you own them:
Distress inks and a sponge dauber for each color: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo

This class is available as a kit if you cannot make it in person. Please let the store know you need a kit when you call to register.

This is my last class of 2011, but don't worry because I will have more classes for you in 2012.

I look forward to seeing you soon!
Cindy

Winter Memories with LYB

2011-11-14T10:13:00.003-05:00

Winter Twig from Little Yellow Bicycle is the perfect line to get me in the mood for a snowy winter! I took so many pictures of Blizzard '10 that I have not finished scrapping them all. This layout has 13 (Yes, 13!) photos with 7 of them hidden in the "Large Photo Fold Out" from Creek Bank Creations. I simply mounted the fold-out onto my layout and covered each flap, front & back, with paper and/or photos. A short length of baker's twine and a brad serve as the closure. Easy, fast, and utilizes lots of photos!

Also I used several pieces from the Journaling Cards. One is a hidden pull-out journal card. I cut two of the circular journaling spots in half using them as decorative elements instead of journaling. The Chipboard Words are always one of my faves as it makes titling such a breeze. I added a snowflake from the Paper Snowflake Kit and bling to the titles for an extra wow-factor. I am almost hoping for another such blizzard this winter. I love that it keeps my family home and serves as great cropping days!

Some Amazing Layouts from Jessica Mannarino

2011-11-09T23:53:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,

We saw some fabulous layouts today from one of our wonderful customers, Jessica Mannarino. I love how she uses paint and sewing on her layouts. Jessica used a snowflake stencil on this layout then lightly coated it with paint.

Jessica keeps her sewing machine handy. I love how she stitched a star and then inked it up.

The simple stitched frames on this page really makes the page pop.

Here she used paint to make the cardstock look like wood planks and finished it off with some sewing.

Faboulous Customer Creations

2011-11-08T23:27:00.001-05:00

Some stamps just beg to be colored. Annabelle Kratz made these stunning poppy cards in a rainbow of colors. She used Copic Markers to get great shading on her flowers. To get the perfectly matched bows, she colored her white ribbon with the Copic colors of her flowers.

Laura shared some of her wonderful cards with us! We always love getting her samples. Even what looks like a simple card has layers of details. This Christmas tree card is a great example of that.
Laura used clear buttons and backed them with papers to give a sibtle look of color. All of the button centers are either threaded or topped with a pearl.

These two Laura cards were made completely from paper with no stamping. The ribbon and threaded buttons add that perfect finishing touch.

Paulette Hall took our wreath class last year and has discovered how much she loves making these wreaths. I love how she has started making these for different holidays.

2011-11-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

My English-major daughter might not be pleased with all the exclamation points I use when describing these journals but I just can't help being excited about these fun products!!! If you haven't gotten SMASHED yet this summer, take some time this Fall to play with these journals and embellishments. It's a great way to get started with scrapbooking or to take your scrapbooking to another level. And remember, once you try something new your creative juices are bound to flow through your traditional projects too!

Happy Scrappin!
Gina A

Gina A. is getting SMASHED!

2011-11-07T11:28:00.000-05:00

So how much fun are you having with your new SMASH products??? I'm having a blast playing with my SMASH book and embellishments AND my new Fancy Pants journals and I wanted to share some of what I've been doing!!!

Yes, these books are great for use as straight-out journals but I'm using mine as mini scrapbooks of sorts. I started with the blue SMASH journal and decided to use it for my annual "summer" mini book this year. What's fun is using the pre-printed pages as starting points or "prompts" for journaling or page ideas. If you look through these books however and see pages that don't scream "YOU", remember you can just rip them out or cover them up as I've done! Here's some examples of "before and after" shots from my SMASH book.

Yummy's !!

2011-11-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

While visiting Ocean City with friends this summer, we popped into the cutest darn shop called Yummy's. And, you guessed it....it sold nothing but yummy confections. I was so taken with the adorable decor and bought quite a few cupcakes (as to not be rude, of course!!) The pictures from that day turned out so fun so I thought I would make a layout about it. The new line from Three Bugs in a Rug called (appropriately) Bake me a Cake was the perfect choice for these pictures. I used the hot pink dot as my background papers and then used 3 different papers on the pages. I used a Martha border punch to make the blue border on the far right nad the sticker sheet that came with the line also. Using smaller photos (2x3inches) on a lot of the pics helped make this layout so fun and you can have those printed right here at Photo Scraps while you wait. I used aqua ink with my home printer to jazz up the journaling and I think that makes it all the more adorable. Hope you like it! Lisa H.

The perfect Christmas tree!!

2011-11-03T23:25:00.000-04:00

Sorry my design team entry is a tad late this month....I have been just a bit busy with the Silent Auction, which by the way raised a terrific amount of money!! Thank you to all our amazing customers who participated in this great cause last weekend. We will continue to sell pink rubber ducks, pens and mints for the rest of the month of October...all for Breast Cancer Awareness month, so please check those out the next time you are in the store.
Now, back to my layout.....I just LOVED this line by Little Yellow Bicycle. The "word" paper I used as my two background pages was my absolute favorite!! Mixing and matching several other decorative papers from this line is my go-to plan on most layouts. Completing the pages with ribbon, bling and an adorable tree stickpin finishes it off. Hope to see you soon!! Lisa H.

November's Demo Day card

2011-10-23T14:52:00.001-04:00

Demo Day is a week earlier in November...don't forget! Here is the card we will be making at my table. It is quick and easy and lovely (I think so at least). The card features a gorgeous stamp from Penny Black, a beautiful paper from Authentique, a border punch, and an embellishment using the fabulous Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia die.

I look forward to seeing you on November 12th!
Cindy

LYB Wonder & Wishes

2011-10-21T02:17:00.000-04:00

Hi from Lisa C.

Who doesn't love the holiday season? With its brightly wrapped packages, stockings full of treasures and smiles on the children's faces, I know I sure do. I began this layout with two peices of Festive Red Flourish paper turned so that the thin stripes ran perpindicularly and the red flourish accents were in the outer upper corners. I further accented the flourishes with Stickles, bling and paper flowers from the Embellishment Kit. I layered several other printed papers from the line as the bases for my photos. From the Fabric Stickers I used a circle frame around one of my favorite photos and strung the adorable stockings across the first page. I added names to the stockings and lots of bling! The "Signs of the Season" title and journaling tag each came from We R Memory Keepers new line Peppermint Twist. The two lines complement each other beautifully!!! Playing with these festive lines is certainly getting me in the spirit!

Gina A. FALLS in love with LYB!

2011-10-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!
I was so excited to see Little Yellow Bicycle's new fall line, "Hello FALL!".

I immediately loved the "Autumn Tree" paper and thought it would be perfect for some pics from my day at Baugher's this past weekend. I had SOOOOO much fun embellishing the tree! First I used some of the die-cut leaves from the line's accompanying embellishment pack, pop-dotting them over the printed leaves on the paper. Then I added some buttons. Then, because I haven't "blinged"... um "blung?"... (LOL!) lately, I added some sparkle to the leaves... I just LOVE how it turned out!

The title "one Fall day" came from a stash of old orange letter stickers paired with the F-A-L-L letters in the embellishment pack (with a little more "bling" added!). (If you look closely you'll see I didn't have any "a's" or "d's" left among my orange letters so two "p's" (one with the stem cut off) fill the need.

In placing the photos I slit a couple of leaves on the tree with an exacto knife so I could slide the photo under. On the accompanying page I used some wallet-size pics to "set the scene". I use wallet-size photos often when I want to include more details or show sequence in a layout. I like matting them together as I did here, but remember to leave a little white space or matting around the photos so your eye can rest from all the busyness.

(Oh, by the way, if you visit Baugher's this season and would like to share my leftover wallet-size photos, next time you're in the store just ask! I have some on the shelf behind the front desk - my gift to you!)

If you're a paper-crafter who only dabbles in scrapbooking preferring cardmaking, etc., consider taking my 101 class to learn how you can make the leap into page design or the 102 class to take your scrapbooking to the next level and learn to use embellishments more!

Can't tell you how pleased I was when I brought this layout into the store and Lisa C. RAVED!! As I tell my 101 students, you should create for your own pleasure and to your own taste... but doesn't it feel good when someone else loves your work as much as you do???? :-)

Hope you all FALL in love with LYB's line this month!
Have fun!
Gina A.

Pretty little poinsettia

2011-10-19T12:08:00.000-04:00

This is a super quick card I made last week using LYB's Christmas line and a new Spellbinders die called Layered Poinsettia. The LYB paper is just fantastic and the die is to die for! No pun intended :) This is one of those rare cards of mine that has no stamping, but I don't think stamping was even needed. My poinsettia uses all but one of the available die petals and the leaf petal. I gently curled my petals around a pencil to give them a dimensional look, and instead of die cutting my flower center, I used gold pearls.

Please call the store ASAP to special order the die if you want it. It is so popular this holiday season that it keeps walking out the door with a happy customer has soon as it comes in. Like all other Spellbinders dies, you can cut out the shapes then go back in and emboss for extra detail.

Remember to to look at the projects in person while you are shopping!

See you soon,
Cindy

The card:

The die set by Spellbinders:

Game On from Little Yellow Bicycle

2011-10-19T02:14:00.000-04:00

Basketball by Lisa Castaneda

I don't know about you but I just LOVE sports lines! Between my three kids I have so many sports layouts to catch up on. Little Yellow Bicycle's new Game On collection was barely out of the shipping box when I was buying EVERYTHING to take home! This sports collection has things for Baseball, Football, Soccer and Basketball.

My first layout is from several years ago of my son's basketball all-star game. The paper is so beautifully designed that I felt there was little I had to do to make a great layout! I used a fun technique that I too often don't turn to . . . I painted the edges of my two favorite photos and the edges of the border I cut from one of the printed papers. What a quick & easy way to add a little pop! The mini-banners already had "All Star" printed on them so that made a no-brainer title. I used the stickers to embellish including the score board where I put the actual game's final score with the numbers included on the sticker sheet. The Tear-Out Ticket book gave me a fun journaling spot. Love, love, love this line! You have to come in to see it for yourself! (Plus, the Fab-O school line!)

October and LYB

2011-10-11T10:59:00.001-04:00

October is always one of my favorite months of the year even though my allergies will totally disagree with me. Is anyone else out there as miserable with allergies as I am?? Enough about allergies and onto the Design Team's pick for October, Little Yellow Bicycle (LYB).

This month we are focusing on 2 lines from LYB, their Christmas line called Wonder Wishes and their Autumn line called Hello, Fall. First, I must say that I adore LYB. Their papers are strong and sturdy, their patterns playful, and their colors always appeal to me. I picked a little paper from both lines and am sharing with you 2 cards I've made from the Christmas line.

My first card uses the front and back sides of one piece of paper. I already threw away the strip that had the name on it (sorry!) but it has the poinsettia pattern on one side and the words to "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" on the flip side. I probably say this every month and in every single one of my classes, but I love words! I love the look of writing in every font imaginable and can never get enough of paper (or stamps for that matter) with words on it. For this card I used a sketch with lots of layers to give it depth and then added a simple sentiment by Hero Arts. This lovely Christmas stamp is from HA's newest release . The set is called "Very Merry Christmas" #CL543 and is a must for any stamper's holiday collection. It is a clear set with a bunch of Christmas sayings on it and while I have only had mine for a couple of months, I have already used it a ton of times. This sentiment is actually one of the long horizontal ones on the set. I cut so that I could make it stacked. Don't be afraid to cut your clear stamps! I stamped the sentiment in Black Cherry Staz On, my all-time favorite red ink. I added 1/2 of a die cut (Tim Holtz Ornamental die, a favorite of mine!), some pearls and some ribbon. I love love love the layout of this card and will probably be using it in an upcoming class.

My second card uses patterns from 2 different sheets of paper from LYB, but I loved how they matched up so well together. Because of the busy pattern on my die cut (Tim's Ornamental die again) I wanted something more simple for my background. My sentiment is from...you guessed it...the same Hero Arts set I used on my first card and is stamped in the same Staz On ink. The poinsettia is from Prima and the bling in the center of the flower is metallic decor from Hero Arts.

Does the layout of my 2nd card look familiar? I used it quite a few months ago for a Demo Day card. I always preach how you can use the same sketch over and over again for any occasion by changing up the paper and the stamps. This card is a great example of what I always talk about. And with having a sketch to follow, it made creating my card quick and easy.

Remember to check out all the great projects and pick up some of the Design Team's monthly pick the next time you are in the store.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

My October Demo Day card

2011-10-06T20:25:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone! I missed you all for September's Demo Day and am happy to be back for October. Here is the card we will be making at my table. This is a great card for any occasion and just perfect for the Fall season too.

I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday the 15th for Demo Day!

Cindy

A Star is Born

2011-10-05T23:50:00.000-04:00

Jillibean's Christmas Eve Chowder collection is so cute and happy just like my neice Tori. In the layout "A Star is Born" Tori (at age 3) starred in her very own Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve at my sister's house. The best part of the "show" is that Tori convinced her brothers and cousins (up to age 17!!) to participate. It was such a gift for all of us to watch!

For the layout I combined some Bazzill dot paper and cardstock with Jillibean's whimsical prints. The journaling cards came right from the Bite Size Bits Uncut Sheet. I cut another penguin from the paper to layer on the one journal card so he popped right off the page. The borders on page two and other embellies came from the Pea Pod Diecuts sheet. The three borders can be used together as I did or separated. I chose to again use foam dots to raise one of the borders. The beautiful green ribbon is new from Webster's Pages and available by the yard. The "believe" sparkly word is from KI Memories.

Christmas card photo shoot!

2011-10-04T23:49:00.001-04:00

I love me some JilliBean! Their new lines are uber-fab....stay tuned to see what I have whipped up with the Halloween line. This Christmas line was too darn cute for words....I just love it! The happy tone of the papers was perfect for the mood of the pictures from last year's Christmas card photo shoot.....it is always a miracle when there is success with these pictures (between the goofy kids and crazed hound dogs!!). Lots of pop dots, mixing and matching of decorative papers, some ribbon, bling,etc. make these pages fun and lively. Hope this inspires you to scrap some Christmas pictures of your own. Enjoy the (finally) nice weather....Lisa H. :)

A Christmas card

2011-09-23T21:22:00.004-04:00

Another Christmas card from the wonderful Design Team paper this month by Jillibean Soup. This card was inspired by my friend Emily. I used both patterns from a single sheet of paper, added a scalloped edge and a Prima poinsettia, some bling, and a beautiful new Hero Arts holiday stamp. Every year I tell myself that I am not going to buy any more Christmas stamps, and every year I do just the opposite of what I say! This Hero Arts set (CL543) is just gorgeous and has nice big sentiments to go on your Christmas cards. Love it!

Cindy

October 1st card class

2011-09-23T20:15:00.004-04:00

Here are all the samples for the new card class on Saturday October 1st from 12 - 3 pm. We will be making 8 cards total (2 of each of the 4 designs). We will be doing a couple of fun and easy techniques too.

Please bring these supplies if you own them:

Sharp scissors or distressing tool
Copic markers: YR68, R29, YG17
Paint brushes or water pens (2)

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

New class on October 1st

2011-09-20T12:19:00.005-04:00

Join me Saturday October 1st from 12 - 3 pm for an all new card class! We will be making Any Occassion cards that have a touch of nature to them. We will make 8 cards total (2 of each of the 4 designs). On one of the cards we will use the Acrylic Block technique with Distress inks. Have you done this technique yet? If not, it's a great way to put some color into your background!

Here are 2 of the 4 cards we will be making. The other 2 will be posted soon.

I look forward to seeing you!

Cindy

Fabulous New Customer Creations

2011-09-15T23:18:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I have had a number of our wonderful customers bring in their creations. The first up was Annabelle Kratz who has shared some of her wonderful cards with us before. She has been having fun with Hero Arts large floral stamps and Distress inks. We used this technique on this week's Wacky Wednesday card. First, you stamp with Versamark or pigment ink, cover with embossing powder and heat set. Then, grab your Tim Holtz Distress inks at least 2 shades for blending and some blending foam. Then, ink it up.

Here is the new Tim Holtz video showing how to apply the ink.

Carol Gorrell has shared some great framed projects with us before and today she showed us how beautiful an easy Halloween card can be. She started with some Memory Box papers and added from there. She added some stamps with a simple black ink, some ribbon bats and a couple of punched shapes.

Alice Isenbart brought in this amazing crayon box that was made from scratch using a template provided by Laura Denison and was featured on the Graphic 45 blog. Alice recreated this project perfectly and we are looking into the possibility of teaching it as a class.

Thanks for all the inspiration! We love to see what you are making so bring them in so I can share the creativity.

Freshman!!

2011-09-13T23:57:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun doing this layout of my son's freshman year in high school. The new line from Fancy Pants called "Off to School" was the inspiration for these pictures. I LOVE to death the pencil paper and used it all over the layout--I esp like how the pencils can be cut apart to use for accents. Lots of decorative papers mix and match well on the neutral backdrop of Kraft cardstock--it helps ground everything. The new JilliBean accordian album was used on the bottom left corner of the layout and it allowed me to get tons of pictures on these two pages. I used the ribbon brads to secure the red twine to close the album when not in use. Yes, it is a bit thick to put in a scrapbook, but once in awhile I don't mind having something thicker in there. I have always been a fan of anything chipboard and the Fancy Pants chip's from this line was a great addition to the pages. Hope you like it and also hope to see you in the store soon! Happy Labor Day everyone!
Lisa H, aka: Tall Lisa

Halloween Party!

2011-09-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

This new line from Bella Blvd. called "Too Cute to Spook" is so adorable! It seemed a perfect match to use with the pictures I just developed from last year's Halloween party. I love happy papers, big shocker to those of you who know me. In fact, it seems to be the biggest compliment I can pay to papers I like it to say that they seem "happy!!" Guess my simple little mind just likes happy things! I find I gravitate towards stripes and other small prints, so the star paper and the word paper that I used as the background on both pages were perfect for me. I love the purple velvet ribbon that i used down the left page, notice the simple knot at the top for extra oomph. I used a bit of that same ribbon on the right that I stapled with my all-time favorite tool, the Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz. Hope you like this. Anyone else mourning the loss of the Steelers at that horrible, terrible game this Sunday? wowza, that was bad! Still always will be a Steelers fan--go black and gold! See you soon, Lisa H.

Flopsey and Christmas

2011-09-11T13:58:00.007-04:00

I have been having a blast creating with the fun and fabulous Jillibean Soup lines this month! If you don't have any of this paper yet, snag it before it disappears from the store. The patterns are playful, colorful, and inspiring.

For all 3 of my cards shown here, I used just one sheet of paper from the Christmas Eve Chowder line. I love anything with words on it, so the side with the words to "Deck The Halls" was a no-brainer.

My first card uses both sides of the paper in squares to provide a background on my card. I love the general layout of this card and can think of a ton of different ways to change it up for other occasions. I used one of my favorite Christmas stamps (sorry, it's no longer made by the manufacturer) plus a little bling and some ribbon.

My 2nd card features the absolutely adorable Flopsey as an ice skater. I colored her up with my Copics and even though you can't see it in the picture, I added some Stickles to the ice she is skating on so that it sparkles. The snowflakes were cut with Martha Stewart punches and the white background was embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder.

For my final card, I used my favorite EK Success border punch and some ribbon to create a quick and easy Christmas card. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and yes, there is a little Kaiser pearl for the dot of the "i" in the word Christmas.

I still have a little bit of this patterned paper left. Hmmm, I wonder what else I can come up with.

On a side note, I will not be around for Demo Day this weekend. I will miss seeing all of you this month! I will be back for Demo Day in October and will be teaching a card class on October 1st which is also World Card Making Day. Stay tuned for details...

Take care,

Cindy

We Love Christmas!

2011-09-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

Well, since I had no power for what seemed like an eternity, I used that time well and scrapped up a storm (hah no pun intended!!). Though I had lots of natural light, I really missed my Ott Lite that I usually use to scrapbook. I felt like I was really straining my eyes but I am glad I spent the time doing these layouts because I really love them! The Jillbean line was my go-to company AGAIN and their Christmas Eve Chowder line did not dissapoint. I made the brown word paper that fun shape by using another piece of paper I had laying around as a template. I like how that turned out; makes it a bit more interesting. I like how the sheer red ribbon adds a festive touch to the layout also. Jillibean's 12x12 alphabet sticker sheet was so valuable--i used the red alphy for the title and then used the small green letters for additional words. Hope you get some inspiration from this layout and all the new products that we have at the store now. Lisa H., aka: Tall Lisa

JilliBean Soup and the Pumpkin Patch

2011-09-10T10:15:00.008-04:00

Hello Creative Peeps!

Just a little project to share with you today using the
BRAND NEW! JilliBean Apple & Cheddar Soup line.

It's perfecto for fall projects.

Check out the mini book and how it came together.
I used the brand new Avocado Arts Thankful for You set
for stamped embellishments.
The Jillibean paper line and the stamps work so well together.

Check out the project live and in person at the store.
LOVE the Avocado Arts set?

Join me for this months Avocado Arts card class.
Check out what you will make.
Looking forward to seeing you! -Lisa Hetrick :)

Thanksgiving

2011-09-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

Jillibean's Apple Cheddar Soup line was my choice for these Thanksgiving pictures--I just love the gnomes used on this line, but didn't end up using them on this project (my fav is the journaling card that says "thankful for my gnomies" how cute is that?) I mixed and matched several different decorative papers and inked the corrugated alphy from Jillibean for the title (it started out white!). Their journaling card sheet is so helpful because you can use some of the pieces for journaling, mats or embellishments. Everyone glad that Irene is over? Good riddance! Lisa H, aka: Tall Lisa

Christmas Morning!

2011-09-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

The new lines from Jillbean are fab and uber adorable! Can you tell I like them?? I used their new Christmas line, Christmas Eve Chowder (how great is that name?) and combined all kinds of decorative papers and ideas on this page. On the far left, I used a template to cut the red paper (made out of a piece of cirle-decorative paper from another line) and then used a line of crystal bling from Kaiser to go along that edge (i stole that idea from a magazine!!). I continued the bling on the right top corner and along one of the photos. Tearing the red cardstock along the bottom edges is something a little different as well as using the inside of one of the journaling cards to mat the photo of my dog, Myrtle on the right side. I for one will never take my electricity for granted--hoorah that our power just went back on! Good riddance Irene!

See ya at the store--Lisa H., aka: tall Lisa

Pencil colors for Saturday's class

2011-09-08T14:17:00.002-04:00

For those of you bringing your own colored pencils to class on Saturday, here are the colors we will be using. These are Prismacolor pencil names.

Cream
Dark Brown
Light Umber
Terra Cotta (an alternate color would be Burnt Ochre)
Canary Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Olive Green
Apple Green
Crimson Lake (an alternate color would be Raspberry)
Scarlet Lake

Feel free to bring a blender pencil or white pencil if you wish, though it is not required for class.

If you own Twinkling H2O's, please bring them in the following colors:
Stargazer
Snapdragon
Majestic

Other items you can bring if you own them are:
Ball stylus
Sharp scissors
Water color brushes or aqua pens
Pencil sharpener

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Cindy

Gina A loves Jillibean!

2011-09-07T11:46:00.000-04:00

Can't tell you how excited I was to learn that this month's Design Team products were the new Jillibean lines .... LOVE this stuff! I picked up my supplies last night. I selected the Homemade 6 Bean Soup line using the coordinating papers and the Kraft Accordion Album to create this mini-book about my friendships through the years.

I was so inspired by these cute products that I literally came home from the store after my shift last night and put this cute book together in just a couple hours! I started by attaching the accordion pages to create a standard flip-book, adding a ribbon for closure. Then it was just a matter of selecting a few 'friendship' themed photos from my photo-box (my Scrapbooking 101 students will remember that I file everything thematically - photos,products and finished pages... stop by and see me at the store for details!) and quickly covering the kraft pages with the coordinating papers and photos. I added journaling and embellishments - not much required for this 4 x 4 album size - inked all the edges and VOILA! A quick and cute album that commemorates my friendships through the years... "SEW" much fun!!! :-)

Happy Scrappin!

Gina A.

Happy Halloween

2011-09-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

I used more of the new We R Memory Keepers Halloween line to do another layout--loving their papers, cardstock and chip shapes! This company always has quadrant paper that is perfect to use when you want to mix and match several different decorative papers--the spider web paper is one of those, just a 6x6 square. I used two colors of the oh-so-loved Baker's Twine on these pages and used their journal cards that were cut out of a piece of paper to do my journaling on. Using a purple pen to write with adds just a touch of fun! This was a really simple layout to do--just used lots of cardstock and threw it together! Hope to see you at the store soon! Lisa H, aka: Tall Lisa

Happy Halloween!!

2011-09-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

I just LOVE the new line from WeRMemory Keepers! I had great Halloween pics from last Halloween that were perfect for these papers; it's one of my favority go-to lines---loving the chip shapes and cardstock pad!! The orange polka-dot papers were a great backdrop for the layout, along with the strip paper. BTW, the scallop edge on the right side is made with a Fiskars edge punch--love it! The "Boo" banner is made with Maya Road cloth pennants--I used letters as a mask and inked the cream banners to black, then used those same letters on the left side of the layout, oh so clever! Some awesome green sheer ribbon used on the banner and then repeated throughout the layout helps pull it all together! And, in case anyone is wondering, my husband really did have neck surgery--that is not a prop I promise!! Hope to see you soon at the store. Lots of holiday items are starting to arrive! Lisa H., aka: Tall Lisa

Soup's on!

2011-09-04T09:40:00.003-04:00

Let's have Soup! Jillibean Soup that is. This month the Photo Scraps Design Team will be bringing you creations made from 3 new lines by Jillibean Soup: a Christmas line, a Fall line, and a Sewing line. The papers are cute, cute, cute! In fact, I like them so much I had a hard time narrowing down just a few patterns to bring home and make cards with.

Stay tuned to the blog for our projects and make sure to look at the creations in the store when you are shopping!

Cindy

SMASH inspired Fancy Pants Brag Book

2011-08-30T11:36:00.003-04:00

I decided to use my new black Fancy Pants journal as a mini scrapbook of Halloween through the years. Both my SMASH book and this one are works-in-progress, but thought I'd share some pictures of the pages so far. What's fun about the Fancy Pants Brag book is the photo-sleeve pages and pocket pages already built-in! I've been decorating these pages with some Halloween themed items from my stash at home, paired with some of the cool new papers and embellishments we have in the Halloween section at the store (so cute! I love the Fancy Pants Oct. 31st line!) PLUS I found some of the SMASH embellishments work well with this journal, too! (Check out the black and white polka-dot SMASH tape on the front cover!)

New Class: Memory Box Holiday Cards

2011-08-26T21:08:00.003-04:00

Join me Saturday 9/10 from 12 - 3 pm as we make 4 cards using colored pencil and water coloring techniques that I learned from Dave Brethauer, the owner of Memory Box rubber stamps. Dave's class was so much fun and I learned a lot! I've taken the basics of Dave's class and turned them into cards that are more "me" and now I'd like to share them with you.

In this class we will be making 3 cards using colored pencils and 1 card using Twinking H2O's for our water color medium. I will also demonstrate how to use Memory Box's dies and share a little tip for terrific texturing that Dave gave us in his class.

Having your own colored pencils for this class is a MUST, so this class is priced like so:

If you have your own colored pencils you MUST bring them and the fee for the class is $22.00

If you DO NOT have your own colored pencils, you will get a set of colors to make the cards for this class. You will use them in class and then you get to take them home (woo hoo!). The fee for the class (including the pencils) is $35.00

Bring the following tools if you own them:

a ball stylus

water color brushes or pens (2 - 3)

a pencil sharpener

Just a reminder that some of the patterned papers used here on my cards may change by class time due to the availability of the papers.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

You Are A Teenager!!

2011-08-25T21:52:00.001-04:00

Still can't wrap my head around the fact that I am the mother of two teenagers, crazy!! My youngest just turned 13 and the new Doodlebug Birthday line screamed for me to use it for these pictures! Even though technically, this is the boy's birthday line, it matched all the colors much better than the girly pink line from Doodlebug. I love mixing and matching the different decorative papers from the line and the 12x12 diecut sheet added so many fun elements, like the journaling bubble, brackets and cardstock diecuts. The left side of the layout is made with a border punch on the brown paper and finished with the every-handy Baker's Twine that you see everywhere these days! The brads from the line also were amazing--the cakes & balloons are actually brads! I love how this layout turned out--I feel like the fun and lively papers really capture the mood of the pictures. It helps tell the story and for me, that is what scrapbooking is all about!
See you soon! Lisa H, aka: Tall Lisa

Avery's card

2011-08-19T18:58:00.004-04:00

Meet Avery! Avery is cat #3 of 4 if you can count them from the order in which they arrived in our house. Avery has been with us for 3 years. We adopted him from BARCS animal shelter in Baltimore City. He is another one of my son Duncan's love-at-first-sight pets. Avery was only 5 weeks old when he came home with us and we had to technically foster him because he was too young to be adopted out by the shelter. He is your stereotypical cat...Avery wants attention on his terms only, he hates to be picked up and held, and only wants you when he wants something. Nevertheless, he is very sweet, and when he wants attention he rubs up against your legs or lays in front of you belly-up so you can rub his tummy. Avery also likes to flop bellu-up in front of the dog in hopes that Sawyer will rub his tummy too.

Avery's card uses 2 patterns from the Friends Furever line and uses almost the same layout I did for my black and white Demo Day card last month. I switched it up just a tiny bit by adding some die cut pieces. I hand cut a heart from one of the papers and added some raffia too. My best friend's son does not like Avery and we think it is because he has funny eyes. So to accent the eyes on my card, I used black Enamel Accents.

3 pets down...2 more to go!

Cindy

Sawyer's card

2011-08-16T21:33:00.005-04:00

In June, my family adopted a dog from a wonderful Baltimore-based rescue called Dogs XL. Their mission is to rescue large dogs from high-kill shelters and place them in forever homes (check them out at http://www.dogsxlrescue.com/). My oldest son fell in love with Sawyer the first time we met him. After 3 more meetings to make sure he was the right guy for us, we brought him home. Sawyer has now been with us for about 2 1/2 months. He is super cute (he's a Golden Retriever/Chow Chow/Couch Potato mix) and very sweet and has an adorable purple Chow tongue which is really hard to catch on camera because he is quite camera-shy. This photo is from the other day with Sawyer chilling in my stamp room/office.

Sawyer's card is made with 2 patterns from the Friends Furever line by We R Memory Keepers, a Cloud 9 stamp, some pearls, and some raffia.

Cindy

Repeat class: Butterfly Bonanza

2011-08-15T16:45:00.004-04:00

For those who were not able to make it a few weeks ago, I will be teaching my Butterfly Bonanza class again on Saturday August 27th from 12 - 3 pm. We will be making 6 beautiful butterfly themed cards using products from a variety of manufacturers. Some butterflies do need to be cut out, so make sure to bring sharp scissors with you!

Cindy

Friends FURever!!

2011-08-15T12:33:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has been following this blog knows what a FREAK I am about my dogs, not ashamed of that fact one bit! These two hounds have added so much to our family, most obviously love, affection, and humor!! Myrtle and Daisy make us laugh so much;it's almost on a daily basis that someone in the family is grabbing the camera to capture some ridiculous moment. The line used for Design Team this month couldn't have been a better choice for me, and the papers and colors did not disappoint! I always buy the 12x12 cardstock pad every month that coordinates with the We R Memory Keepers line--I love the quality of their cardstock, the colors perfectly coordinate with the line (duh!!) and it is quite a bargain to boot! I used several stamps this month also--love the "paw" stamp (and yes, it is $1!!) and the phrase & "woof" stamps add a nice touch also. Look for this line at the store and stay tuned to the emails because the new CHA stuff is starting to arrive! See you soon, Lisa H.,aka: Tall Lisa

Puppy Love

2011-08-13T21:22:00.001-04:00

Do you think it's a coincidence that we got a new puppy and We R Memory Keepers came out with an adorable new pet line?? I don't know . . . but I do know that I LOVE this line!!! The beautiful prints and colors perfectly compliment our puppy Brody and the photos of the day we brought him home for the first time. I used the card paper from the line to create a fun little mini book on my page to house a few more photos (Yes, I got 12 photos on this layout!!!) Stamping. I always say I want to incorporate more stamps on my scrapbook pages and today I did it. The sentiment on my first page came from a Heidi Swapp/Cloud 9 set filled with loving quotes about this special member of our family. The paw prints, "Puppy Love" title, and the bling dog bone came from Queen & Co. Don't have a dog? We R Memory Keepers collection also has goodies for the cat lover!

My 2nd Demo Day card

2011-08-13T11:31:00.006-04:00

Here is the 2nd card we will be making at my table on Demo Day, Saturday 8/20. I have a butterfly thing going on this month. This card was inspired by my good friend Emily. She always has beautiful cards and fabulous ideas to share!

Cindy

Oliver's card

2011-08-05T12:14:00.005-04:00

Having a lot of pets, I decided that I would challenge myself this month for Design Team by making a card that represents each one of my pets using our DT line for August, We R Memory Keepers "Friends Furever". My card today represents my oldest cat, Oliver.

Oliver is a strikingly handsome, super furry, gigantic (24 pounds!!), long-haired orange tabby. We took Oliver in when he was just about 6 weeks old, having found him in a neighbor's backyard. Oliver thinks his purpose in life is to lay in your lap and get fur on your clothes. He is also the "talker" in the family, constantly meowing and speaking to you whether you want to converse or not.

For my Oliver card, I used the orange paw print paper from We R along with some cream colored paper to represent Oliver's stripes. I stamped the paw print and meow (perfect for the talking cat!) in Rusty Hinge Distress ink and added some twine and bling. A quick card but I think it represents Oliver perfectly.

1 pet down, 4 more to go...

Cindy

My {first} Demo Day card

2011-08-04T11:11:00.005-04:00

I love butterflies and purple, so I thought I would marry the 2 together for Demo Day. Want to know how much I love purple? The color of this ribbon is the exact same color of the carpet in my stamp room/office. Wait till you see it IRL. It's delicious!

This card uses a gorgeous butterfly from a clear Stampendous stamp set called Butterfly Beauties. It happens to be one of the butterfly sets I am using in class this weekend (come join me...we will be making 6 butterfly themed cards). Call the store to order your stamp set today!

I am pleased to say that I will be providing you with 2 projects for August's Demo Day on Saturday the 20th. The 2nd card will be posted here on the Design Team blog over the weekend.

I look forward to seeing you soon...

Cindy

All New Design Team Project

2011-08-04T10:54:00.005-04:00

Hey Creative Peeps,

Lisa Hetrick here. I hope you are all having a wildly creative and fun summer. So, this months design team is showcasing the We R Memory Keepers line FRIENDS FUREVER.

Super cute paper line for papercrafting all your furry friend projects. So... What if you don't have a furry friend? No worries. This paper line has some super cute patterns and designs that make it easy to paper craft just about anything.

So, I just picked up this new LOVELY from the store from My Favorite Things. How cute is that pinwheel DIE?

And... I thought it would be perfect to use with the new Friends FUREVER line. Check out this little visual tutorial.

I started out by die cutting the Friend FUREVER paper with the new pinwheel die.

This die is so super easy to use in your favorite die cutting system. I used the Big Shot.

What do you think for someone who doesn't own a pet. HA! Papercrafting with patterned papers is fun. Go visit this project and the entire line at the store.

The dog (and cat) days of August

2011-08-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

Will this heat ever go away? Can you believe August is here already? Where did the summer go?

We have all heard the saying "the dog days of summer" but this month we are calling it "the dog and cat days of August" to go along with the Design Team's August products, Friends Furever by We R Memory Keepers. This line is so adorable with lots of paw prints on the papers and papers just for cats and just for dogs. The embellishments are adorable (charms, chipboard, etc) and they have stamps in the line too!

Almost everyone here at Photo Scraps has a pet (or in my case 5!) so be on the lookout this month for not only fabulous creations using the We R line, but our pets as well.

Cindy

You and Me by MME

2011-07-28T21:02:00.000-04:00

Some of my favorite photos of last summer are of my husband and I with our girls posing in our backyard before a friend's party. I love that my girls' personalities and their special relationship shine through in these photos. My Mind's Eye's Lime Twist line had the perfect colors to showcase my photos. Diecut papers are a favorite of mine and I began this layout trimming the circle paper to create a fun accent in the center of the layout. From there I built the layout adding many different pattern papers in a color-blocking fashion. I created other borders with Kaisercraft's Self Adhesive Rhinestone Strips and a Bazzill Just the Edge border. The Bazzill border was a plain white so I grabbed a bottle of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to change the color to a complementary blue. The "Happy Go Lucky" accessories sheet from the MME line had the perfect sentiment stickers. I created the title from this sticker sheet by punching holes in the banners, stringing them with the ever-popular baker's twine in purple, and pop-dotting the banners. Lastly, I layered the butterfly stickers and added rhinestones. Happy Go Lucky is just how I felt when I finished this layout . . .

Butterfly Bonanza class samples

2011-07-27T19:18:00.005-04:00

As many of you know, butterflies are some of my favorite images to create with and I collect them in all shapes and sizes. Join me Saturday 8/6 from 12 - 3 pm for my all new Butterfly Bonanza card class. We will be making 6 butterfly themed cards using lots of different butterflies from quite a few different companies. We will be doing some Copic coloring, a technique with Distress inks, and some cutting. Make sure to bring your sharp scissors with you because they are a must for this class!

If you are unable to attend but would still like to make the cards, please call the store and register for the class but let them know you need a kit. Please keep in mind that coloring is not done for you in the kits.

Here is a small list of other supplies you can bring in case you prefer to use your own:

Distress ink: Spun Sugar (and a sponge dauber)

Copic markers: Y19, YR18, YR04
Spica pen in Black

I look forward to seeing you on the 6th!

Cindy

NEW CLASS: Butterfly Bonanza!

2011-07-23T08:30:00.003-04:00

Join me Saturday 8/6 from 12 - 3 pm for an all new class...Butterfly Bonanza. We will be making cards with butterflies as our theme. The other cards are not ready to photograph yet, but here is the sample of one of the cards we will be making in class. More to come soon!

Cindy

MME, MFT and a little Memory Box too

2011-07-16T09:14:00.006-04:00

As promised, here are some more cards uisng the fabulous Lime Twist from My Mind's Eye, one of them featuring Flopsey from MFT.

Of all the cute images out there in stamping world, Flopsey is my absolute favorite. There is just something about her; her giant ears, how fun she is to color, how many different things Flopsey can be used to represent based on all her available images. You will be seeing more Flopsey from me, but for this Flopsey card I used that great cloud paper and colored in my image using Copics. I used MFT's cloud die and scallop border die as well as Martha Stewart's grass punch to complete my card. The sentiment comes in the Flopsey set and I stamped it on a scrap of white paper then cut the edges with scissors to give it flag ends.

Here is the gorgeous Ranger Adirondack Wild Plum ink again and 2 patterns from Lime Twist with a sentiment from Impression Obsession. Loving the magenta! This is a super layout that will appear in an upcoming class. Love all the layers! A little ribbon and bling finishes the card.

My final card uses Memory Box stamps, the gorgeous butterfly and the round script stamp. I colored the butterfly with Copics and cut it out by hand. I really like the way the butterfly ended up matching with the orange polka dot paper from Lime Twist. Again, a little ribbon and bling embellish the card.

Some of these cards may even show up at a future Wacky Wednesday. Would you like that?

See you soon!

Cindy

A couple of Design Team cards

2011-07-14T19:56:00.006-04:00

Wow, how lucky are we to be able to play with My Mind's Eye Lime Twist for July! MME has always been one of my favorite paper companies because their papers are always so thick and sturdy and the patterns are always fun and pleasing. Lime Twist is just delicious! Full of great designs and fabulous colors.

My first card uses some Hero Arts stamps, ribbon and bling, and 2 of Lime Twist's patterns with mouthwatering colors. And while you can't tell from my photo, the little butterfly is popped with foam tape and covered in Rock Candy Distress Stickles. I am really digging the magenta and orange! This was a quick card, and as usual, you could change up the sentiment and the papers to suit whatever occassion you need a card for. Check out the fabulous ink color...that's Ranger's Adirondack ink in Wild Plum. It matches perfectly with the magenta stripes in the Lime Twist paper.

My second card uses the fabulous cloud paper from Lime Twist. I think this is my favorite pattern so far. These are just the best clouds! The stamps from my card are from the awesome stamp company My Favorite Things and the set is called Up, Up & Away. I am soooo happy we are carrying MFT in the store now! I colored my hot air balloons with Copics, cut them out and popped one of them for dimension. I used a Martha Stewart border punch for the grass and made 2 layers with it, popping the outer layer with foam tape, again to give dimension. When my card was all put together I used Stickles in Yellow over my yellow Copic areas to give some sparkle.

Be prepared to see more Lime Twist and MFT from me in the next couple of days, maybe even tonight :) And remember, visit our Design Team creations when you are shopping in the store so you can see for yourself all the little things that make good projects great.

I look forward to seeing you soon!
Cindy

Saturday's class supply list

2011-07-13T11:53:00.002-04:00

There are still a few spots left in my All Occassion Cards class this Saturday. We will be making a total of 8 cards (2 of each of the 4 designs). Here is a small list of supplies in case you want to bring and use your own so that you do not have to wait during the sharing of supplies. And don't forget your sharp scissors as one of the cards has cutting!

Copic markers: V06, V25, YG17, YG67

Distress inks: Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade

Sponge daubers for the above Distress inks

I look forward to seeing you Saturday!
Cindy

Lime Twist Lickety-split!

2011-07-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

Hi from Gina A!
I love the beautiful My Mind's Eye paper's from this month's Design Team challenge. Lime Twist has such beautiful colors, designs and embellishments! I've already used this line several times ... you may have seen my hot-air balloon layout of my daughter and her boyfriend with the title "he makes her heart SOAR!" already on display. As soon as I saw that paper I immediately came up with the design idea and I loved the result. I also used the talk-bubble paper for a get well card/book for my little nephew.

For my Design Team double layout I chose some photos of my daughter reading to her grandmother and matched the Happy Go Lucky
"Hello" Zig, "Perfect" Lines and "Together" Lines papers along with the "Perfect" Butterflies paper and a sheet of the matching stickers. The inspiration for the whole page was the sticker that says "Every moment with you is a gift"...so true as my daughter (age 21) spends time with my mother-in-law (age 90)! To those supplies I added some dotted cardstock with the scalloped edge and a set of stickers from the "school" section to tie in the reading theme.

Best part? This came together "lickety-split" .... from choosing the papers to hanging it on the wall was 45 minutes start to finish!! Lots of fun and results in no-time flat - I love that!!

If you are short on time and want to get some layouts done, think about doing some "scrap-lifting" to speed up the design time. Check out the display of my scrap-lifted pages in the "Spotlight on Scrapbooking" section of the store. (near the scrapbooks and page protectors). For each designed page I include the "scrap-lifted" original and tell you what I did... and remember: Scraplifting is totally legal! So bring your camera next time you're in the store and take some pictures of the many samples of scrapbook pages and cards we have on display. There's nothing better to get the old creative juices flowing so... GO "FOURTH" and Scraplift over the holiday!!!

Have fun!
Gina A.

Demo Day and I {heart} MFT!

2011-07-10T11:04:00.004-04:00

Demo Day is just around the corner, happening on Saturday July 23rd from 11 - 4 pm. Here is the card you will be making at my table. I will have some regular sentiments on hand in case you don't want the quote on your card. The beautiful quote however, comes from one of my favorite stamp companies, My Favorite Things (aka MFT).

MFT has been around for a while and I am so thrilled that we are now carrying them in the store! They make lots of different stamps ranging from cute to artistic and tons of wonderful dies. All their dies and stamps are of excellent quality and you will not be disappointed with how they perform. I sincerely love their products.

I look forward to seeing you on Demo Day!

Cindy

Cute as a Button

2011-07-06T03:28:00.001-04:00

The new lines just released from My Mind's Eye are just amazing--love,love,love them!! It has always been one of my favorite companies and this release did not dissapoint! I am so happy with how this layout turned out....love how the cloud paper and the woodgrain paper work together to reinforce the "outdoor"theme of these pictures. The circle alphas are also MME and I think they add a lot of cute detail to the pages. Finishing touches: buttons, flowers with Hero Arts hues in the insides, lots of Baker's Twine, also from MME and a few butterflies from Little Yellow Bicycle. Little details such as a circle picture on the right (of my sweet hound Myrtle), ribbon "flags" used on both pages and corner rounding the woodgrain paper help make the page more interesting. Come check out what's new at the store this week. Great weather, hooray!! Gotta love this temp.!
Lisa H
.

More Design Team cards

2011-06-22T14:17:00.006-04:00

I put these cards in the store over a week ago but completely forgot to blog about them. Ooops! I had a lot of fun playing with the We R Memory Keepers Travel Light line and a motorcycle stamp from Hero Arts again. I used a layout very similar to what I did for Demo Day but added a few more layers to mat my main image. The plaid paper was cut with the Tim Holtz Sizzix Ornamental die. Love that plaid paper! And the border with the interstate signs...that came off the edge of the plaid paper. I cut around the signs which worked perfectly to give me a scalloped edge on my card. Vrooom vrooom!

My next card has no stamping on it at all. I used the map paper from Travel Light which included the main retro image that I used as the focal point on my card. A super simple layout made this card lightning quick. I think it took 5 minutes at the most to put it together and I think it came out super cute. I find this card to be very fitting right now as we are leaving on a road trip to FL this week. It's Disney or bust!

Don't forget to look at our Design Team creations in person the next time you visit the store!

Cindy

New All Occassion Card class

2011-06-22T14:13:00.004-04:00

Join me Saturday July 16th from 12 - 3 pm for my new All Occassion card class. We will be making 8 cards total (2 of each of the 4 designs) using a variety of Hero Arts and Memory Box stamps. Please bring sharp scissors since one of the cards requires detail cutting.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

Travel Light with We R Memory Keepers

2011-06-21T21:45:00.001-04:00

This crazy fun travel line from We R had me reminiscing the days of my son's travel baseball team. While in Mississippi for a tournament we stumbled across our first ever Sonic. The kids were thrilled to order from the car and be served by an old-fashioned carhop! I absolutely love the paper with the mileage calculator! I finally broke out my We R Sew Easy tools that I bought. (It feels so good to take a tool out of the package and try it out!!!) I loved creating a border in stitches next to my chipboard title and it couldn't have been easier. My daughter thought I had lost my mind when she hopped in the car at school and found me sewing on my layout while I was waiting for her! I used several pieces from the Layered Chipboard - tied off with the ever-popular baker's twine. The journal spot came from last year's Little Yellow Bicycle Pack Your Bags Journal Pad and the stitched brads are part of the Wander collection from Basic Grey.

Wall Art from Carol Gorrell

2011-06-14T23:25:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone,

One of our talented customers Carol Gorrell was nice enough to show us what she created with the large canvas she purchased from us. She used some scalloped edge papers from My Mind's Eye as her base added some Creative Imaginations papers (I think). The bracket frames are from Inky Antics. The girl stamp is a Technique Tuesday stamp. Carol did some great coloring and layering to finish it all off.
Thanks for sharing!

Scrappin' with We R Memory Keepers and Avocado Arts

2011-06-13T15:00:00.003-04:00

Ready for some scrapbook inspiration! This month's design team is all about We R Memory Keepers new travel line. It is super cute!
I thought it would be perfect to create a little mini book for an upcoming trip we are taking to Great Wolf Lodge. Even better... pair it all up with the new scrapbook-friendly sets from Avocado Arts.
Have you seen the new scrap-friendly sets? AvocadoType, Strike-a-Pose and Say It! Pennant Style? These sets are SO FUN to work with. I designed these for scrapbook pages, mini books and, of course they are fantastic for cards and other papercrafting projects.
Over the next few months, I will be sharing a mini-album project using these new sets. It will be a "project in progress" and I will sneak a few images in for the Avocado Arts set releases in July and August. HOW FUN IS THAT? Have you ever searched and searched your stash for the perfect embellishment for your scrapbook pages? ACK! One of my favorite things about stamps is that you can customize your project to suit EXACTLY what you want.
Also along the way, I will share tips, tricks and techniques using the new sets. Let's get started! Mark your calendars for the 10th of the month, Scrapbook Inspiration Day! -Lisa :)

I-M-Memory Keeper

2011-06-13T13:28:00.006-04:00

Hi from Gina A!
So, yes!, I'm the Memory Keeper in our family - and I love it, AND I love this month's We-R-Memory Keepers travel line! But I've got to admit - after working til the wee-hours of the morning each day last week to finish a HUGE farewell album for our church minister, I was not feeling too creative when it came time to work on these pages. So this two-page layout is pretty simple with no special techniques, yet I just love the results! The "Personal Travel Log" page was perfect for posting a copy of our itinerary for our trip to Sweden last summer along with journaling taken directly from my travel diary and photos of us at the airport. Simple, but still a great addition to our Sweden scrapbook.

As I tell my 101 Students all the time, the nice thing about working with one line of product is that the papers and embellishments are already matched for you. But don't be afraid to add papers or stickers from other lines as well. In these layouts, I used a blue dot paper from My Mind's Eye "Good Day Sunshine" line as my matting and a couple stickers (the speech bubble and arrow) from Cosmo Cricket "On the Record" line and I love how it all came together!

If you want to learn more about mixing, matching and creating embellishments for your layouts, join me for a Scrapbooking 102 class soon - check our store calendar for upcoming dates. Hope to see you soon!
Gina

Enjoy The Scenic Route!!

2011-06-11T01:03:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! This month's Design Team challenge was to use the new, oh-so-fab and just a bit retro, WeRMemory Keepers Travel Time line. Such fun! The pictures I chose though really didn't have a "travel" vibe to them, even though the colors matched perfectly. So, I decided to use these papers anyhow and work in the travel-motif in the layout. The pictures I chose are of a hiking outing we took as a family so I pulled out the colors that worked with this line. I love the map paper used on the left side of the layout and the way the different decorative papers from this line mixed so well together! The "HIKE" banner was made with Maya Road canvas banners and rub-on letters, tied together with the awesome and oh-so-versatile baker's twine and the fun puffy fabric brads from the Travel Time line. Love it! Check out our samples in the store and enjoy the heat--guess summer is here!! Lisa H.

SMASH is here and so is Little Yellow Bicycle Sweet Summer

2011-06-10T00:17:00.000-04:00

This is such a great new summer line from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Supply list for Saturday's class!

2011-06-09T17:07:00.002-04:00

We are going to have some inky good fun this Saturday making cards inspired by the Darcie's board that arrived back in April. You MUST bring sharp detail scissors in order to complete this class. Here is the list of Distress inks that we will be using in the class. Please bring your own if you have them. The class fee includes 4 daubers to be used during class with the Distress inks, but if you already have some inked up at home for those colors please bring them and then you will go home with 4 new ones to use with your other inks.

Distress inks:

Worn Lipstick
Mustard Seed
Broken China
Shabby Shutters

Stay cool!
Cindy

Travel Light card

2011-06-09T12:11:00.004-04:00

Yea, I finally had a chance to play with the fabulous We R Memory Keepers Travel Light line, our design team focus for June. I made a quick but fun card using 2 Hero Arts stamps, a little bit of black twine, and one of my favorite punches by Cropadile, the stub corner punch. The paper I chose from Travel Light has a terrific map on it which I thought paired perfectly with the motorcycle. I colored the open spaces of the motorcyle in with Copics then added Glossy Accents to the headlight and taillight to give them a little more dimension.

Stay tuned for more Photo Scraps Design Team creations!

Cindy

My Demo Day card for June

2011-06-07T12:11:00.003-04:00

Here is my Demo Day card for June, well...almost. It seems that without knowing it, I chose some discontinued colors of cardstock for my card. (Goodbye Powder OP...I'll miss you!). So my card will look almost exactly like this one, just with slightly different shades of blues.

I chose to do a birthday card this month because Demo Day falls on my actual birthday (I like chocolate, hint hint!). But, if you don't need a birthday card, this card would make a great thank you or sympathy or thinking of you and I will have some other sentiments on my table besides "happy birthday".

I also have some spots available in my class this coming Saturday where we will be making some fun and bright cards using Darcie's stamps.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

Let's Travel!

2011-06-03T17:13:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone! Summer is a time when lots of people travel, and our paper line focus for the month of June is just that...travel related. The Photo Scraps Design Team will be bringing you creations made with a brand new line by We R Memory Keepers called Travel Light. As is expected from We R, the Travel Light line is filled with fun patterns, bright colors, and super embellishments. Stay tuned to the blog as we post our projects, and make sure to see them firsthand when you are shopping in the store.

See you soon, and happy travels!
Cindy

New class!!

2011-05-20T21:46:00.004-04:00

Join me Saturday 6/11 from 12 - 3 pm for an all new card class! This class is my interpretation of the fabulous cards on the Darcie's board that arrived in April. We will be making 4 bright and happy candy-colored cards.

I was so attracted to the Darcie's board when it came in because of the bright colors which are truly outside of my comfort zone. It was great to expand my creative horizons and try my hand at the lively colors. Creating these cards was also my first experience with the Darcie's brand of clear stamps and let me tell you, they stamp beautifully! I highly recommend them.

We will be hand-cutting A LOT of pieces in this class as well as getting inky with Distress inks and daubers, so bringing your own pair of sharp detail scissors is a MUST.

The class fee includes 4 sponge daubers. And as always, if you cannot attend in person, kits will be available. Please tell us when you are signing up that you need a kit only. All my class kits come with color photos and directions.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

The first shall be last?

2011-05-19T11:40:00.003-04:00

Hi from Gina A!
Soooo - I was so happy to be the FIRST to complete this month's Design Team layout...1. Because I've never been first and I was happy to finally reach that honor and 2. because I absolutely LOVE the layout I created! (More about that in a moment!)

So... how did I get to be first? Well, I scrapped at the three-day crop on April 29,30 and May 1st and I used that time to create this layout PLUS two gift books, and a GAZILLION other layouts!!! (OK, maybe not THAT many, but if you've seen the pic Tracy posted of me with all my "stuff" you'll know I got lots accomplished!) If you were there that weekend you already know how much fun the 3-day crop was... please give Tracy your feedback - I'm hoping we'll be able to have another soon!!! And if you missed out, for goodness sakes, sign up quickly for the next one! I promise you'll have a ball and you'll have lots of time to accomplish a lot of art, too.

Now, how did the "first" get to be "last"???? Well, I was so happy with my layout that I placed it on the Design Team wall immediately and kept forgetting to blog - geesh! Does it justify my tardiness if I tell you that the subject of my layout - my beautiful daughter, Caitlin, GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE last weekend?!?!? So, in my defense, I was busy MAKING MEMORIES for future layouts instead of taking time to blog :)

Anyway, here it is - finally! - for those of you who haven't already seen it in the store. I thought this line was perfect for these Cayman Islands pics of my daughter and her friend on spring break last year. I've loved the photos but hadn't scrapped them yet since I hadn't found "just the right" paper and this line fit the bill with the beachy colors and turtles in the design. I used one of our paper edging punches to highlight the striped paper under the journaling block and on the right page border. A little inking of those edges brings attention to the punched detail.

This was my first layout using the very trendy "banner" look and I loved how it turned out for my title. (I used my handy Signo uniball white pen to make the "Turtle Love" letters on the banner flags) Die cuts, buttons, the flags and hearts were all embellishments from the paper line so I didn't have to do any work for matching. You'll note I pop-dotted the "swirlies" over the paper design under the "Welcome" photo. I thought that helped draw the eye to the turtles printed on the paper.

(BTW, the ladybug chipboard accent in the corner of that photo is in honor of Cait's membership in ASA Sorority since the ladybug is their mascot. Try putting little "secret" embellishments on your layouts to add special meaning - did you ever notice Allie Edwards early layouts of her son Simon always include an "S" in the design somewhere? - and another published scrapper I've seen adds a "hidden mickey" to every Disney page she designs... fun stuff to add personal meaning to your family's scrapbooks!)

Hope this layout and those of my fellow Design Team members give you some inspiration for creating your own fun layouts. Stop in to see us at the store soon!

Gina A.

Fancy Pants Beach Bum

2011-05-15T07:52:00.001-04:00

Maybe I need to "get a life" but I live for fabulous beach lines! Perhaps because I always long for days at the beach and scrapbooking those pictures is the best way to get a peice of that paradise. Fancy Pants Beach Bum collection (and Beach Babe!) fill that need for me. One of the easiest layouts to create begins with a transparency for me as most of the design work is already done. I put three matted photos beneath so the curlique waves would artistically overlap my pix. Then I put one small, matted photo on top of the transparency as it looks like my son's boogie board ride is exploding out of the wave. Are you intimidated by rubons? The easiest application ever is on a transparency. The rubon literally glides on with barely a "rub". The fish, the words-filled-circle over the sun, and the title all came from the rubons. I added Glossy Accents to the fish and sun to give them a slick finish. Page two began with cutting waves, layering them, and popping them up. The bottom wave is actually a chipboard border from Technique Tuesday that I inked to match. Using the Strips paper I cut out words and arrows, laid them on twine, and topped with Glossy Accents to create a rustic-looking beach sign.

Not surprisingly, this line is swimming out the door, so don't delay. Come in and get your little peice of summer!!! Lisa (a.k.a. Flat Lisa)

Hello Sunshine!!

2011-05-13T22:13:00.001-04:00

Though I love the new papers from Fancy Pants Beach Boy line that we are using for this month's Design Team, I just couldn't wrap my head around using any of them for this layout. I was determined to use these pictures and the embellishments (rub-ons, chip and cardstock shapes) all matched the theme perfectly. So, I thought outside the box and used another line's papers instead. I was searching high and low in the store for papers with more of a yellow-theme because that is what I pictured in my mind. The Fancy Pants papers, though FAB, had too much navy blue and red in them for my set of pictures. Instead I used the backsides of two papers from the Little Yellow Bicycle Babysaurus line--you never know which papers will work til you turn them over and are pleasantly surprised to find what you need!! I love yellow, esp for a happy summer layout like this. I also can't say enough about the quality of the Fancy Pants rub-ons....LOVE them! The bubbles, large wave, "Hello Sunshine" title and frame around the words "summer 2010" are all rub-ons. So easy to use, they are foolproof. And, yes, you can put them on paper or photos. Hope to see you soon! Off to watch Ellen! Lisa H., aka: Tall Lisa

Patriotic Pups

2011-05-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

I know, I know.....you can't believe I am one of THOSE people (ie: people who dress their dogs up in seasonal props and take pictures!!). Well, I am and proud of it, though my kids are horrified every time I do it. (which of course makes me want to do it even more--spoken like the mother of two eye-rolling teenagers!!) These pictures make me laugh and my hounds (Myrtle and Daisy) are so patient and willing to cooperate. Their attention span can be bought with bones held just off camera...works like a charm! Anyhoo, when the new paper line from We R Memory Keepers for July 4th came in to our store, I knew instantly which pictures to pull out! This is one of my fav go-to companies, esp for their chipboard words and awesome decorative papers. I have always been such a fan of the red, white and blue combo and this layout screams fun and summer to me. The cute trio of pics down the left side were simply done with circle punches (plain and scalloped) using left over pictures. Hope this layout makes you smile as much as it does for me. Do you scrap your pets? We would love to see your layouts...bring them in to the store sometime. Anyone else out there have Basset Hounds like me? See you soon, enjoy the spring weather!! Lisa H., aka: Tall Lisa

A lizard, some balloons, and a baby carriage...

2011-05-06T22:11:00.005-04:00

Wow, I cannot believe that we are a week into May. A new month brings new goodies for the Photo Scraps Design Team to play with. This month we will be featuring projects made with 2 fabulous new lines from Fancy Pants, Beach Bum and Beach Babe. These lines are colorful, fun, hip, and playful! I've made 3 easy cards to start the month off.

My first card uses a chipboard lizard (couldn't resist it) from the Beach Bum embellishments pack and one of the great Beach Bum papers. Love the swirls! A touch of ribbon and a little bling finish the card off.

My second card uses a wonderful stamp from Impression Obsession stamped in Chipped Sapphire Distress ink and a terrific plaid paper from Beach Bum. I brought this old fashioned pram stamp home well over a month ago and have been dying to play with it. This card would be perfect for the new mom of a baby boy. Again, a little ribbon and bling finish off the card.

My final card for tonight uses the playful striped paper from Beach Bum, a Hero Arts sentiment stamped on Black Cherry Staz On (my go-to red ink), balloons from Stampendous colored in with Copics and Glossy Accents used on the reflective parts of the balloon, plus bling and floss.

All the cards were quick and easy to make and I hope they show off the many different styles of cards you can create using one line of patterned paper.

Be sure to check out the Design Team wall to see all the projects up close and personal when you visit Photo Scraps!

Cindy

Charity Crop for Hospice

2011-05-06T15:37:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

One of our wonderful customers is going to be having a charity crop in Gaithersburg and I wanted to pass it along.

NEW! Avocado Arts Stamps

2011-05-03T18:16:00.003-04:00

Join me for a class using my new line of clear, photopolymer stamps. This class is loaded with techniques and fun.

Here are the class samples for the Thurs., May 26th, 6-8 pm class. $27
There are five projects loaded with techniques. Everyone in the class will get their own stamp set to use while making these fun projects. If you pre-pay for the class, you will get your stamp set as soon as they arrive and they have SHIPPED.

Call the store and sign-up! Looking forward to stamping with you! -Lisa Hetrick

Click on the pic for more detail!

Butterflies are back...for Demo Day

2011-05-01T11:28:00.007-04:00

The butterflies have returned! As many of you know, I absolutely love butterflies. They have not appeared on my Demo Day cards for a few months but they are making a reappearance for May. Here is the card you will be doing at my table for May's Demo Day on Saturday May 21 from 11 - 4 pm.

I look forward to seeing you then!

Cindy

NEW CLASS...Wedding and Anniversary Cards

2011-04-29T21:15:00.005-04:00

While William & Kate were busy tying the knot today, I was busy designing my next class. Join me Saturday May 28th from 12 - 3 pm for my newest class, Wedding and Anniversary Cards. We will be making 6 elegant cards perfect for giving to the newly married couple or the couple that has been married forever. Fee $24

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Cindy

It's all about the GLUBER

2011-04-28T10:18:00.002-04:00

What say you?

CHECK OUT this project:

I used all new Prima Flowers, and the NEW GLUBERS
to create the fabric rosette in the middle.

What's a GLUBER you ask? Go check it out in the store.
It is a big honkin' GLUE DOT.
Perfect for making fabric and/or paper flowers in a snap.
Super fun watering can project made easy with PRIMAS and GLUBERS.

Perfect day to create something Springy, wouldn't you say...
-Hetrick

6 x 6 Mini Chip Board Album - design team

2011-04-27T20:14:00.001-04:00

Woohoo, I am on a roll now! Second blog posting ever!! I have to say I had sooooo much fun making this mini album. I really had a hard time choosing the card stock, I wanted to use it all! I ended up using Hometown Summer - Heat Wave, Green Acres and Summer Fun and Cosmo Cricket Coral Bloom. For embellishments I used Lovely Bits Butterflies and Doilies, my Cricuit Machine (for the words, baskets, tag mats and the interactive tag that can hold lots more pictures) lots of paper flowers and, the flower border punch, its a Martha... I just loved the bright bold colors. I am always looking to be able to put the most pictures in a small space... At least one pocket is a must for me in a mini album and I did manage one early in the album. I filled the pocket with tags cut large enough for pictures and room to journal on the back. Loved the green paper and thought it a perfect backdrop for flowers, lots of them! I cut out the baskets on the Cricuit machine, a little ink and gel pen and they were ready to be filled with flowers embellished with pearl bling! Family fun which was the theme for this album. I cut out tags, scored them at the top so they would bend and made a little album with in the album! Quite a feat when you are only starting with a 6x6 to begin with. If you had a chance to view this in the store, you got to see the silly side of the Dinsmore's as we barely survived our encounter with the plastic alligator ... Lots of smiles on the next page and I went whimsical with the letter placement. Straight lines don't work well for me... I love to cut out patterns from card stock to use for embellishments, and the watermelons punch perfectly! To keep the watermelons from getting crushed - I also punched a piece of chip board (or was it a cereal box?) and then attached the punched out watermelon to it. I did the same thing for the front cover.

I saw lots of people taking pictures, of the album. If you recreate this album it I would love to see it. I am always in awe when someone takes my basic design and makes it their own. Keep creating! Tina