American Crafts is my favorite when it comes to scrapbooks. I personally use their 12x12 D-Ring cloth album. I’ve converted three albums into D-Rings because I was tired of fighting with the posts and screws when I needed to add pages or move them around. It was time consuming to say the least. With the D-rings I snap open, add/remove like I would if it were a school notebook, snap closed and I’m done! Simple as that.American Crafts offers nine colors in their cloth albums, so you can choose to coordinate with your décor or have a different color for each child, etc. They also have leather, corduroy and a modern album that is chipboard and allows you to customize with your own papers and embellishments. They do offer post-bound albums, if that's your preference.I purchased my albums online at Scrappin Grannies but you can find them at Hobby Lobby. The prices I've found online are generally comparable to Hobby Lobby using their 40% off coupon. Scrappin Grannies carries the entire American Crafts line, so they definitely have the best selection. They also have pretty awesome prices, service and super-fast shipping!
My favorite way to add texture to my cards or scrap booking is with dry embossing. Cuttlebug makes dry embossing so easy with their embossing folders. They’re perfectly sized to do an entire 4.25x5.5inch card front. But one of my favorite ways to use it is on die cuts and shapes. I’ve added dimension and texture to heart shapes, tree shapes, circles…the possibilities are endless! (there are also smaller embossing folders, but I haven’t used them.)What is great about Cuttlebug embossing folders is they work in different types of die cutting systems; you don’t need to own the Cuttlebug to use. I own the Ellison Big Shot and it works perfectly. They can also be used in the Big Kick and Quickutz Revolution. The correct plate sandwiching varies from brand to brand, if you’re unsure what to use or if your machine will accept the embossing folders check out the forums at SplitCoastStampers; they’re a great resource! Embossing folders are an inexpensive tool, usually around $5 and you use them over and over and over…totally worth every penny!I only have a few embossing folders right now. I think three, but would love to add a few more to my collection. I recently went browsing on the net and discovered that Provo Craft now makes tons of embossing folders…I have some shopping to do ;)
I love adding glitter to my cards and scrap booking, but I hate the mess it makes…putting the glue down, sprinkling on the glitter, shaking it off and then trying to get it back into the tiny jar I just poured it out of. Not to mention the mess that can be created if a certain four year old gets into mommy’s stuff with out my permission…don’t laugh, it happened once! LOL! A couple years ago I discovered Stickles while at a stamping class. It’s an awesome little bottle of glitter mixed with glue and a very fine applicator so you can use as much or as little as you ‘d like. I started with their diamond color, it’s pretty much clear but gives a nice sparkle and have slowly added many of their colors to my stash. They have 35+ colors now and several new textures that I've yet to try.
Stickles are acid free, so they’re safe to use in your scrapbooking. They’re non-toxic, so they’re safe for the kiddos to use (they’re really fun for the kiddos play with too!) The glitter doesn’t settle in the bottle, you never have to worry about shaking up before applying. Lastly, the applicator is a pretty fine tip, so you can apply sparkle in the very tiniest of places! Stickles are definitely a must have for me!
I searched high and low to find the perfect adhesive (tape runner) for my paper crafting. Besides needing something that worked well at holding papers together, I need something that I could easily find refills for AND it had to work for a south paw! I tried several of the big brands; they worked alright as far as papers sticking together, but some didn't stand the test of time (i.e. cracking when bent and falling apart.) The refilling process...some easier than others, one was downright confusing! Then there was the one issue I found with all of the tape runners I had tried out, they didn’t work well for me because I’m a lefty! You’d think it wouldn’t matter which hand you use, but for me, they just weren’t working… After I thought I’d have to settle for occasional fights with my tape runner, I found Kokuyo Dot’n Roller. This stuff is awesome! It’s a dot-patterned adhesive vs. tape so it can easily apply around curves, on ribbon, etc. It’s smaller than my last tape runner and fits perfectly in my left hand! It also has a little cover to protect the adhesive during storage/transport. Refilling is snap…you drop in the cartridge and that’s about it. I use Kokuyo’s permanent adhesive and it really gives a nice bond. I have cards I’ve made and tossed aside in a drawer w/out protection and they’re still holding together perfectly. I don’t believe Michael’s or Hobby Lobby sell this adhesive and my local scrapbook store didn’t sell until recently. I found a great place online to buy and get my refills for about $1/box less than most brick and mortar places sell. ScrapbookPal has free shipping if you spend $25+, so I order $25 worth of adhesive.
About a week ago my crafting room was packed into boxes as we prepare for our upcoming move. I have two weeks to pack the house and I knew I wouldn't have time to make cards or scrap with all the other work I had to do, that room was the first to be packed. Sniff sniff! Immediately after boxes were sealed I thought of two or three cards I needed to make...figures!I went through my supplies as I packed and found several odds and ends that I had forgotten about. Hopefully I'll be able to organize my new space so I don't forget about them again. I was amazed to see that my stuff packed nicely into four boxes...even after donating a large stack of magazines! I was sure all my stuff would pack nicely into my two totes and one box...not so. Proof that I really don't need to buy anything else until my current inventory dwindles down a bit. I've experienced my first moving injury...a scraped knuckle! It didn't hurt as much as it bled. My gosh! I'm sure a sore back will soon follow. I'm very particular about order, organization and timing...so I'm too impatient to wait for the husband to get home and move boxes into the garage for me. I'm sure we'll be driving each other a little crazy by moving day! ;)
( Family & friends - if you're counting, this is our 6th move...we'll settle down one day... )
I'm hoping to return to regular postings in a few weeks. Until then, I'm hoping to maybe highlight some of my favorite tools/products.Back to my moving boxes, tape gun and permanent marker...
A local mommy recently launched her new blog, ScoopMill. It's going to be a great resource for anybody looking to move to Fort Mill and for the locals to see what's happening in our area. She'll feature news, events, politics and real estate all at the local level.
Yesterday Jane featured an article about local artisans and provided links to their Etsy stores...it's a great way to shop local and support people in your own town. (my Etsy store was even listed! yay!) Many people aren't even aware of Etsy so it was a great promotion to our local artists and handmade goods!Best of luck to Jane and her new blog!
The SC Etsy Street Team January Love contest has ended and a winner of the monogrammed note card set has been chosen. Since I sponsored the prize, it was up to me to get it in the mail. I put everything together last week so all that would remain would be the stamping of the monogram. I'm so glad I did it that way because the past few days have been so beautiful we've been outside enjoying the sun and mild temperature instead of crafting inside.
Here is a little peak of the note card set I made. It's a set of six, two of each design. I'm really loving the browns and blues...I just might have to make one for myself!By the way...big thanks to everybody that voted for my Love card...it won! woo hoo! I am going to be featured on the SC Etsy Street Team's blog, I'll let you know when that happens!
It's hard to believe we're counting down to Valentine's Day already...wasn't it just Christmas? Where does the time go?
This month can be pretty busy for me card making wise. I make little valentines to send to Gavin's cousins and some friends, we have my mom's birthday, my niece's birthday, my grandparent's anniversary and my father-in-laws birthday. That's a lot of cards! Thankfully I went to a crop last week and got several done, so I have all my cards completed! Yay!My niece was born on Valentine's Day, so of course she gets lots of stuff with hearts and reds and pinks. In keeping w/that tradition this is her birthday card! It's made from paper scraps from my stash, except for the card base. The patterned paper is actually Christmas paper but worked well for Valentine's Day. The ribbon, and don't laugh at me, is ribbon I popped into my pocket after unwrapping silverware at a holiday party. (I came home with about 10 of them, thank goodness my shirt was long enough to cover my bulging pockets!) It's all about recycling! LOL! The hearts were cut from some chipboard I received in paper pack to keep from bending and then I cut the hearts again out of the patterned paper to cover. They're applied with dimensional adhesive to really pop off the card. Lastly I added some Stickles to polka dots to make it a little sparkly. Pretty, pretty!
Holy moly! I just realized I haven't made a Valentine's card for the husband...I'll get working on that and post later this week.
Using the Valentine's Day stamp my folks gave me I created this birthday card. I was going to cut out tiny hearts to give it some dimension but decided that Stickles and bling would be prettier. I can't wait to see what else I can do with this card...I should try an actual Valentine's Day card with it ;)
I received a custom card order through etsy yesterday! The customer requested a color scheme and custom hair colors on the image. I was very excited as this is my first custom order since I started etsy. All previous custom orders were from friends and family, so I was honored when somebody that doesn't know me and hasn't seen my work in person trusted me enough to make something for her.
The South Carolina Etsy Street Team has a monthly contest for its members. This month the theme was LOVE so I entered my Valentine's Day Love card. Now it's time to vote and anybody can vote, you don't have to be a team member to vote...so vote for me! I'm also donating the prize for this month, so by voting you'll be entered into a drawing to win a monogrammed note card set from me :D
Thanks!
Thursday, February 5th my grandparents will celebrate 66 wonderful years together. Hopefully Ohio's weather will cooperate and they'll be able to get out and do a little celebrating. Grandpa is in the process of scheduling surgery but he told the doctor it couldn't be on February 5th because that was his anniversary. I think that's awfully sweet of him to demand the surgery wait so he can grandma can celebrate.
Happy 66th Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa! We love you!
American Crafts is my favorite when it comes to scrapbooks. I personally use their 12x12 D-Ring cloth album. I’ve converted three albums into D-Rings because I was tired of fighting with the posts and screws when I needed to add pages or move them around. It was time consuming to say the least. With the D-rings I snap open, add/remove like I would if it were a school notebook, snap closed and I’m done! Simple as that.
