A new direction!

I have not posted in way to long and I realized because I have not been pushing myself creativly enough! I have since gotten a sewing machine and have started to sew projects along with making cards and scrapbooking! I finally found it! I am going to use this form of creativity to keep me going with this blog!!

First project was the aprons I made for the girls! They turned out great and I love love love them! I don't want to toot my own horn but for them being the first thing I truely sewed I am pretty impressed!

Next project that I will be doing is a simple one...Tutu's! Everyone sees them everywhere and I think that it is foolish to pay $20 for something that I can make 2 of for less then $5! I got super cute hot pink and lime green tulle for Kinsley and different shades of purple for Parker! Pictures to follow!



Valentines!

Well I wanted to get a head start on the Valentines so I wouldn't be rushed and I did it! I was so excited to use the new Heart Treat Cups from SU! They are just adorable for Valentines or any other card that you want to add a little extra 'love' to!

For these cards I wanted to add Valentine M&M's to the treat cup, but I didn't want people to have to tear the card apart to get to the treats inside! To avoid the destruction of the Valentine I used a sliding door on the back of the card to make accessing the treats easier! This way all you have to do is pull the heart tab up and out come the treats!

To make this card you will need:
8.5x11 White, Pink, and Red Cardstock
SweetHeart Treat Cups (Stampin Up)
Full Heart Punch (Stampin Up)
1 1/4 Circle Punch (Stampin Up)
Real Red Ink pad and sponge
Sweet Heart Clear Mount Stamp Set (Stampin Up)
Valentine Sentiment Set-I used a retired Valentine Set from Stampin Up

1. Cut the White Cardstock in thirds length wise...they should be strips that are 8.5 by approx 3.66 (this doesnt have to be absolutly perfect!)
2. Fold the white paper in half to give you a card that is approx 4.25 x 3.66...set aside
3. Cut the Red Cardstock in strips of 2.5 by 4.25 (I elected to round the 2 of the corners)
4. Cut the Pink Cardstock in 2.5 inch squares
5. In the center of the Pink Cardstock squares stamp the 'Be Mine' heart from the Sweet Heart stamp set
6. Place the Pink Cardstock on top of the White Cardstock so the fold is at the bottom of the white
7. Use the stamped image as a guide to punch a heart out of the Pink Cardstock and folded White Cardstock. You will want to make sure these are lined up how you want them to appear with the treat cup!
8. Use the White punched hearts to make the tab on the top of your Red Cardstock sliding door! I choose to stamp the front with a saying and then just sponged the back heart. I simply sandwiched them together at the top of the Red Cardstock.
9.At this time you can finish off the main card by glueing the side edges of the White Cardstock together while leaving the top open. Then punch a half circle at the top so the sliding door can nest inside. You can also choose to decorate the main card how every you like at this time...after this it will have the treat cup on it making it difficult for further decoration!
10. Now you can remove the sticky backing from the treat cup and line it up on the White Cardstock so the cup is accessible from the punched holes made previously.
11. Apply the Pink Cardstock over the Sweet Heart Treat Cup to hide the edges.
12. Insert the sliding door and add the candy and you are set!

You now have a Valentine you little ones will love to hand out!

Clear Mount Stamps!

So I just needed to share my joy with everyone about Stampin' Up's new clear mount stamps! I am in love! Finally I get the quality of Stampin' Up stamps in a clear mount! They have a great selection of them in the new mini catalogs for Sale-a-bration and the Occasions Mini. They are easy to use and have a great new case that is well designed for storage! The cases are the size of a dvd case and stack much better then the wood mount cases. Here are my favorite things about them:

1. Less bulky then the standard stamps and stack very easily!
2. The ease of using a clear mount stamp especially when you have a specific position you are looking for!
3. The cases now show the stamp images on the binding so its much easier to locate that special stamp!
4. They are less expensive as the traditional wood mount stamps!

I highly recommend them! Plus they have some great images that will be perfect for making amazing Valentines! Check them out...you will be amazed!

Dimension!

Well my New Year Resolution to have a post every week has already failed, but don't worry...I am back! It was a tough beginning to the New Year, but we have everything back on track! So lets move forward!

The next technique that I want to go over is a very important one if you want your designs to have a certian punch to them! This technique involves layering and using Dimensionals! These are raised adhesives that you use to add hight and dimension to your pieces. There are several techniques that you can use with this and I am going to show you a couple that I used on one card!

First is layering the same image to give it an extra pop! This is very easily done by double stamping an image. You will first stamp the image in the desired location on your card or your scrapbook page. Then stamp the same image on a second piece of paper. Now this piece of paper can be the same color as the orignal or can be a seperate color that better fits the stamped image. As you see in the card I made, I stamped the image of a bird, first on white paper and then again on a seperate white piece of paper. I elected to color in the image of the birds body, but I easily could have chose to stamp it on a yellow piece of paper to get the same desired effect. Once I was finished coloring the body, I cut out just the body. The legs and beek will already be on the orignal piece of paper for me. Then I used a dimensional to adhere the body directly above the body on the original piece of paper. This way it allows the bird to pop off the page!

Another way to use dimensionals is to pop a specific item. In this card I made a flower by using the Scallop Circle Punch from Stampin' Up and simply cut towards the center on each indent of the scalloped circle. I then used a large brad to act as the center of the flower. To help the flower stand out more I placed a Stampin' Up dimensional behind the flower so it gave the flower added hight!

Now there are many differnt ways that you can use dimensionals, but these are two that I commonly use and find work great to give a card or page that little something extra!

I will be back soon with more fun tips and techniques!

Let's Emboss!

As I resolved to do, I am starting my tips and techniques! This weeks technique is Embossing! This is a new technique to me and I have fallen in love with it! I love how it adds an extra punch to the projects that I am making! There are several ways to Emboss and I am going to show you two of the techniques I use the most!

The first technique is the easiest of the two and I find it helps to add just a little something to a card without having to do a lot of work! This technique involves using an Embossing Pen and Embossing powder on a project that you are making. I use this technique most when adding a bit of sparkle to a project because it is easy to add a touch here or there! To do this technique you will use the embossing pen to outline or acent a stamped image or an image on a decorative page. You will simply outline the segment that you want to have accented and then sprinkle the embossing powder over the area touched by the pen. After tapping all extra powder off you will then use the heat set tool and set the embossing powder! This is great because embossing powder comes in various colors and can also have glitter in it so it will help show off your creations!

The second technique you can use is actually inking your stamp with a Versa Mark which is like a glue ink pad that is clear and then stamping the image on the page. Once the image is stamped then you want to sprinkle the embossing powder over the stamped image and tap off all extra powder. Then like in the last technique you would use your heat setting tool to set the powder! I really like to use this technique when I stamp on the back of my cards with the 'Hand Made' stamp from Stampin Up! This way the image stands out and lets the giver or receiver know that the card was made by hand from Stampin Up! products!

This picture shows an example of the second technique with the Black Embossing Powder from Stampin Up!

To start embossing I recommend that you have the following products to make sure your project turns out great:

Embossing Powder (I recommend Black, Iridescent Ice, and Glassy Glaze)
Powder Pals (this is great to keep your powder from going all over)
Heat Tool
Versa Mark Pad
Embossing Pen

All of these things can be purchased from Stampin Up!

Bring on 2010!

Well the new year is here! Time to make good on those new year resolutions! I have decided that it is the time to make more time for my cardmaking and scrapbooking so from this point forward, my goal is to post at least 1 card or scrapbook page a week! In each one I will try to use a new technique to show everyone! This way we can all work on this goal together! If you have any things you think would be fun to try let me know and we can try them out together!

My first one will start tomorrow with a posting on Embossing! I have just started using this technique and really enjoy it and think that you will too! Hope everyone had a great New Years and is ready to take ahold of their 2010!

Getting Ready for the New Year!

So Christmas has passed and the new year is creeping up on us quickly! So what is your New Year resolution? Well if yours are anything like mine, they always include getting more scrapbooking and cardmaking done! So lets work together to do so!

I recommend that you start off your New Year by making a list of the fun events that you did in 2009 that you want to get scrapbooked! This way you have guide for organizing your time with and for making your new purchases! Obviously you will have new ideas throught 2010, but you don't want to forget about finishing up 2009 so if you have a list to fall back on you always have an idea for a project!

I recommend pull out the 2009 calendar and go through month by month and write down fun things you did that month that you could scrapbook so you don't miss anything from 2009! You can also just sit down and go through all of the pictures on your camera since most cameras date the picture as it is taken so you have a date reference to work with too! Make sure to do this now so in 2010 you can start fresh with your picture journal that we discussed previously!

Also now is the time to take inventory on your supplies. There will be tons of sales in the next couple of weeks because of after holiday sales and new year sales so nows the time to stock up on holiday paper and embellishments while they are on sale! Also make sure to go through your products and get rid of the items that are used up, no longer usable, or in need of replacing. Also make sure you have a good stock on the essentials such as glue, pop-ups, basic papers (such as white, black, brown), refill pages, and even new books if necessary! There is nothing better then having everything ready to roll when starting out with a New Years resolution!

So get your New Year rolling out right, and start your prep work now! Good Luck!

Best Bang for you Buck!

Its no secret that the times have gotten tough, and we need to spend our money more wisely then in the past. So how do you do that when you are buying 'extras'? Well there are some really easy ways to make your dollar go farther when scrapbooking and making cards!

First tip: Host a show! There is no easier way to build up your supplies then hosting a stamping show! Why not organize a show that will help you earn free products while allowing you and your good friends learn great tips and techniques from a professional! There is nothing better then getting things for free and hanging out with friends! Want to have a party but not sure its worth the time? Why not get a group of friends together and alternate hosting! This way everyone makes a small cost commitment and you each take turns getting the hostess benefits! This is great if you already have a scrapbook group! Most times you only need a minimum of $150 is sales to get the hostess benefits, so if you could get yourself and 5 friends together you would only need to make a commitment of $25 every other month! So for $12.50 a month you could have a great time and keep your scrapbooking supplies well stocked! If your interested in this you should visit http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/susannygaard/ and check her calendar!

Second tip: Stretch your products! Just because you love this 12x12 page, that doesn't mean you are necessarily going to use it all at once. So start a scrap box for all of your extras! You would be amazed how many times you can use that same 12x12 page for various projects! I try to keep mine organized by color families so when I am coming up with a project I know where to look for that speical piece! Also make sure you stock up at once with your products. This way you have what you want when you need it so you avoid additional trips to the store which end up in more expenses! When you buy and ink pad, spend the extra $2.75 for the refill...you know you will like the color so why not get the most out of your ink pad!

Third tip: Keep your supplies organized...I know this sounds weird, but the more organized you are the less likely you are to over buy or to buy multiples of the same item! Plus by keeping your supplies organized you will keep them in better condition thus get more use out of them! How many times have you bought extra cans of soup because you couldn't see that you already had 3 of them in the cupboard...thats no different then buying extra paper that you already had! So keep it tiddy and save!

Lastly: Research your products and splurge when it is necessary! Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you spend on a product because the quality is the same, but in some cases thats just not how it works! One thing I really recommend this for is ink pads! Make sure to spend your extra money where it is needed! Nothing is worse then going to make a project and your ink pad is dried out or discolored. Another thing I recommend spending a little more on is your stamps and cleaners! I know it is tempting to buy a single stamp to save on the costs, but it is so much more cost effective to spend just a little more and buy a nice set. This way you have all parts of the set that work together so you will get more uses out of them just a single stamp you may only use a handful of times! Along with this make sure you buy the right stamp cleaners to keep your stamps clean and in good condition. Some cheaper cleaners can dry out your rubber stamps and cause them to crack.

Hope these ideas can help you stock up during these tough times and keep your supplies pleantiful on a tight budget!

Bonus!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Stampin Up is having their 12 days of Christmas special starting today! Check out their site for more info on the specials! Also check out their Clearance Rack, they have some awesome deals for up to 80% off! Woo Hoo!

Check it all out at:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/susannygaard/

Let her know that Kasey sent you!

Picking a Scrapbook!

Now that you have your supplies and pictures organizied, its time to pick a scrapbook that is going to work for you! There are many different styles of scrapbooks to choose from so take a moment to ask yourself a few questions before you just run out and grab one!

The first thing that I always consider before starting a new scrapbook is what is my theme? Is this a book for a specific occasion, or is it a collection of memories across a long period of time? Also think about how much you have to scrapbook. If you are doing a specific occasion such as a holiday or maybe a birthday or just have a small amount of pictures to document, I would recommend doing a smaller 6x6 or 8x8 book so you can fill up a book without making it look like you didn't have time to finish it! Now if you are doing a long period of time like babies first year or high school, I would recommend doing a large book like a 12x12 so you have more room to include all of the pictures you want!

Also when deciding what book to buy I recommend that you consider how many pages you want to inculde in your book. If it is going to be a lot of pages then I would recommend getting the extra page sleeves when you buy the book. This way you can ensure you are getting the right ones to fit the holes of your book!

Now that you have decided what size of book you want it is time to get down to the nitty gritty, and pick out the look you want! This to me was very hard when I began because I wanted to make sure my book was 'pretty'! After doing my first scrapbook, I realized that the outside isn't nearly as important as the inside! I now tend to go with solid color books, but love the ones that have the peek-a-boo hole so you can see a little glimps of whats to come! Also by picking a solid colored book, I feel there is no right or wrong decisions for the interior colors! I found with my first book I tried to make sure the pages coordinated with the exterior of the book! Crazy! The pages should coordinate with the pictures not the book!

Lastly make sure to go with what you feel comfortable! If you are unsure and just getting started I would recommend going with a smaller 6x6 book so you don't feel overwhelmed with a huge space to fill! Besided, a 6x6 page can easily be transitioned into a 8x8 or 12x12! Hope you can find the book that fits your needs to house your beautiful creations!

Organizing Photos!

As much as I would love to sit down and scrapbook the minute I take my pictures I know that it isn't always possible! So how do you make sure you scrap what you were intending when you took the picture? Here are a couple of tips that will help you keep your pictures organized!

First thing I try to do when I know that I am going to have photo-ops, is keep track of it in a scrapbooking note book! If I know that today we are going to the zoo I will write the date and locations in the notebook so when I go back through my pictures I know when and where we were at the time of the pictures so I have a reference on the page!

If the pictures are random and completely unplanned then that night when I put the camera back on its stand I jot down what we did that day so I then I have an idea of what the pictures were about and what inspired me to take the pictures! This way when I go back through my pictures that I have had printed then I can know how to link them to a page!

Another great idea is storing your pictures on a share site! I personally like http://www.shutterfly.com/ for my photo storage because they have unlimited space and they do not delete photos over time! These sites will allow you to organize your photos in albums named after the occassion, and set them up with the date of the event. Bonus is they usually offer great pre-pay rates for ordering prints!

Once I receive my pictures in the mail or get them printed off at a local shop I try to organize them right away. This is usually pretty easy because I am able to use my photo journal that has the dates, locations, and reasons for the pictures. I tend to only print the pictures that I am planning on scrapbooking so I don't usually use photo boxes to store my photos in, instead I use envelopes with page titles on them. I put the theme and date on the outside of the envelope and include snippets of the idea I had for the page inside the envelope with the pictures. This way when I have an extra 30 minutes to scrapbook I have it started ahead of time so I can make the most of my time!

Stocking Up!

Tis the season to stock up on gifts, food, and supplies! When getting supplies it is very important to think about what you are getting prior to running out to the store! When you go to the grocery store you take a list to ensure you have all the ingredents for an excellent dish, so why wouldnt you do the same for your scrapbook supplies? Here are some tips and hints that I use for stocking up!

I like to have all of my scrapbooking things in one location so where ever that is I keep a note pad so I can write down things as they run out or get low! This way I have it down and ready to go at a moments notice and I don't have to try and take inventory each time I go out shopping! This is also handy to do as you look through magazines or idea books! This way if you see something you like you can jot it down and ensure that you take it home on the next shopping trip!

Along the lines of keeping a list of what I need, I also keep a list of what I have. This is especially important for reusable items such as stamps, inks, punches, and decorative scissors. The best way to do this is get a clearanced diary or journal and simply use the items you have on the pages! I use one stamp set per page in one ink tone and note the name of each. To take it a step further I recommend doing catagories together like birthday, holiday, words/sayings, ect. This way you can quick flip through and see what you have. By doing this you not only know what you have for shopping purposes, but it also makes it easy to flip through and pick a set for your projects!

Lastly while I am at the store I always try to compare all the items I am buying to eachother. Nothing is worse then getting a great item and not having any things that coordinate with it! I do this with paper, embelishments, and ink pads! This is a little bit more difficult to do at a store because everything is rather spread out, but take advantage of shopping in catalogs that color match everything for you! Make sure when doing this though you order more then what you need especially if the item is seasonal color! I highly recommend getting the papers, inks and refills all at once if possible so you ensure that your items match/coordinate!

As I sat here on a cold and snowy day I realized now is the time to get this blog going! The first question that I asked myself is where do I begin? Thats when it hits me...this is the same question I ask myself as I prepare to start a scrapbook or a set of cards! So lets look at the answer to this tough question! First we need to realize there is no one answer to this question, but a series of many little ones that will lead you to your goal! That would mean that our step one would be...defining what our goal is! Do you want to scrapbook a moment, a specific picture, a feeling, or is it that you just got some really cute paper and want to do something with it? Once we have decided what our main goal is we need to develope a game plan! Here are some steps that I take to develope a game plan for my pages:

First: I clean off a large area to arrange all of my ideas. Whether this is the kitchen table, a office desk, or a card table you have set up in the corner of your living room, you are going to want to make sure it is a clean slate!

Second: Once I have my clean slate I place my main focus on the table and try to visualize my overall idea. For this I usually will consult magazines, websites, and idea books to get my creative juices flowing! Let me tell you right up front....a lot of my best ideas came from looking at other peoples amazing creations! There is nothing wrong with strarting your idea by looking at other peoples successes! Besides as a mentor of mine has told me time and time again...once you have changed it by 10% its your creation! Now I am not telling you to go out and make an exact duplicate of someone else's creations! I am telling you though to take in what they have done and mold it into your own creation!

Third: Once I have my overall idea conceived I organize everything that I am going to need. This means I get the coordinating papers, ribbons, embellishments, tools, and glues! I like to make sure I have everything that I am envisioning upfront because nothing is worse then getting half way through a project and not having an important piece!

Lastly: I start! This is usually the hardest part of the process! What you need to remember though is nothing is permanent or project ending! As a friend of mine says...."thats why the are are 2 sides to a piece of paper"! Things can be covered, flipped, or cut out if necessary! The nice thing though, is if you have done the previous steps this doesn't happen very often!

Now comes my favorite part...Stepping back and looking at my new beautiful creation! I hope that this has inspired you to get started as it has me!