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 Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"Back to School" in Style
8/27/2008 1:39:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Three 99 cent composition books + adhesive + patterned paper + a vintage sewing book page + ribbon + paint + a prepainted wooden item = stylin' back-to-school notebooks ... or, in my case, a journal, a list keeper and a book journal.  Easy, quick, cheap, pretty ... doesn't get any better than that! Best, Beth
creative prompt | gift ideas | mini-albums
8/27/2008 1:39:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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Friday, August 01, 2008
Lots of photos? Here's a time-saving solution for getting your photos scrapped.
8/1/2008 1:00:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) ... Mini-Albums. I love them! I take a ton of photos during one event, and rather than choosing one to three and create a layout, I can fit a lot into a small album. Combine hybrid scrapping + a mini-album and you get a great time-saving solution for using lots of photos. Luke and I had our engagement photo session with our photographer at the beginning of June. We had a lot of great photos. I narrowed it down to 12 of my favorite and created this little album to display at our wedding. I also included journaling describing our different personalities and little quirks. While it's convenient (and tempting) to go out and buy an album, I am on a tight budget these days with only 5 weeks to go until the wedding and house hunt. So I made my own album out of corrugated (cover) and thin cardboard (inside pages) that I had leftover from another project.       Here's the step by step: 1. Find a mini-album template from your favorite digital designer and download it. (I downloaded the Tutti Frutti 4x6 Quick Page Album from We Are Storytellers.) Gather some cardboard or a blank album you already have. 2. Design your album in PhotoShop, PS Elements, or any design program with the digital template you downloaded. 3. Print and trim your pages. (I printed my pages on our Epson R1900 and trimmed them with an Xacto knife). 4. Now is the time to add embellishments to your pages that you don't want sticking through the other side of your cardboard. For example I wanted stitching on my cover, but I didn't want to see the stitching on the other side of the cardboard. So I stitched the cover before I adhered it the cardboard so that it looked seamless. (This would be a good time to add any brads.) 4. Measure and cut out cardboard to match the size of your album. Adhere your designed pages to the cardboard. (My album is 4x6 and I used Tombow Mono Adhesive) 5. Use a hole punch to create holes for binding. Use ribbon, binder rings, or other binding method to finish your album. 6. Add any stamps, embellishments or handwritten journaling to finish the album. This hybrid album took about half the time it would have taken me if I didn't start with a digital template. Do you have any time-saving tips to share for making mini-albums or multi-photo layouts? Have a great weekend! Christy
Digital Scrapbooking | gift ideas | hybrid scrapbooking | mini-albums
8/1/2008 1:00:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Hybrid Card Take 3
7/29/2008 2:44:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  I made this hybrid card for my best friend Jen. Since we don't live in the same city, I sent it with a little birthday box I put together for her. The title treatment was inspired by Master '08 Brittany Laakkonen's I Am Striving layout, which appeared in the July/August Techniques section of the magazine. Supplies: Brads (Bazzill) • Digital patterned paper ( FREE Art Nation Blossom Kit by Emily Powers) • Flowers (Making Memories) • Ribbon (KI Memories) —Katie
cardmaking | free digital kits | gift ideas | hybrid scrapbooking
7/29/2008 2:44:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Spice Up Your Home Decor
7/25/2008 9:33:47 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
I had a vase lying around my apartment that had simple contemporary lines. I was in the creative mood last night, so I sat down, grabbed some foam stamps and bright turquoise paint and began to play. I used a modern Damask foam stamp from Making Memories and stamped one of the designs on top and one of the bottom to create a diamond shape. I then took my paint brush and distressed the contemporary edges with paint. I added a few gems from Hero Art and voila! A new vase with a lot more color and pizzazz was born. The whole project probably took me about ten minutes. Find something around your house and think of the ways you can use your crafts supplies to personalize it to your style. Hope you have a fun this weekend recreating something in your home!
 Create something. Inspire everyone. GinaMarie
gift ideas | home decor
7/25/2008 9:33:47 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, June 19, 2008
Bridal Shower Card and Notebook
6/19/2008 10:41:34 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
One of my younger cousins is getting married a month before I am in August. I'm traveling home this weekend to attend her bridal shower and I made her a funky card and decorated a notebook to keep track of everyone's gifts. The colors for her wedding are black and white, so I added some bright colors to give it a nice punch of color.
I used Master '08, Staci Etheridge's technique featured in the July/August issue and pleated some ribbon along the bottom of the card and attached it with staples. If you're using this technique on a card, make sure you staple the ribbon to a piece of patterned paper and then attach it to the card so the staples aren't seen on the inside of the card.
  Supplies: cardAdhesive: Tombow Black/Pink Patterned paper, chipboard embellishments: KI Memories Black/white patterned paper, 7gypsies yours always element: Li'l Davis Ribbon, staples: Misc. notebook
Adhesive: Towbow
Patterned paper, photo corners, chipboard: KI Memories Vinyl letters, pen: American Crafts Create something. Inspire everyone. GinaMarie
cardmaking | gift ideas | techniques
6/19/2008 10:41:34 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Friday, June 13, 2008
back to basics: paper and scissors
6/13/2008 9:12:04 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) I love digital and hybrid scrapbooking because it's fast, less mess, and I can take my computer anywhere to do it. But, when I haven't worked with paper, scissors, and my Tombo Mono Adhesive (I LOVE this stuff) in a while I start to experience some serious withdrawal symptoms :) There is just something so different about tearing paper, layering embellishments, adding dimension, painting, etc. My cousin just had a beautiful baby girl about 2 months ago. I haven't had the chance to meet her, but will see her at the wedding in a couple of months. I couldn't wait to create a layout about little Bella. I was also excited because this is my first baby page. Talk about breaking out of my traditional patterns and colors. It was tough going through my supplies to find that I barely had anything pink and yellow or for babies.  I normally love to do multi-photo layouts, but my focus was to make this more of a home decor project for my cousin. It would be so adorable in a 12x12 shadow box in the baby's room. I made little pockets at the bottom of the layout with three journaling prompts so that the happy parents could write little notes to Bella. They read 1.) We love your... 2.) You make us... 3.) We hope & pray... This layout took me about 30 minutes. My main techniques were layering paper, ribbon, and embellishments. I gave the layout added dimension by adding thick pop dots behind the photo to lift it off the page. Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend! Christy
gift ideas | home decor | layout inspiration | techniques
6/13/2008 9:12:04 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
handmade goodies
6/11/2008 9:25:08 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) This week I am making handmade gifts to give my bridesmaids at the rehearsal dinner. I bought small bars of peppermint tea tree menthol handmade soap from Good Fortune for my bridesmaids and as a favor for each guest. I bought them without the traditional packaging so that I could decorate them to match the wedding colors. It smells so yummy! I wrapped each bar differently so that each girl gets something a little different.  What I love most about buying my soap from Good Fortune (besides the fact that it's only made with high-quality, natural ingredients) is that Good Fortune gives back to charities when specific items are purchased. And the web site allows you to donate a bar of soap, wash cloth, and a message of kindness to an orphanage, women's shelter, or women and orphans in South Africa. How awesome is that? :) I also put together a little stationery pack with some of my favorite stationery and some of my handcrafted cards. Something different for each bridesmaid. Here are three of the six.    The soap idea would be great favors for an evening dinner party or baby shower! Wrap the them to match the theme or color palette. Even making a few cards or beautiful tags make a wonderful priceless gift. Oh, and if you like inspiring stories, check out Good Fortune's story and blog to read how Good Fortune started out of a woman's home with a dream to make the world a better place. christy
cardmaking | gift ideas
6/11/2008 9:25:08 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
make note of this simple gift idea
5/29/2008 8:45:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) On Monday morning I was welcomed to work by a colorful surprise on my desk ... a sampling of the new Making Memories' Noteworthy line. For me, it was love at first sight. The colors, patterns, paper with scalloped, round, and die-cut edges all had me itching for some creative time (something I haven't had much time for lately). Being in wedding mode, I decided to craft a little memory book for my upcoming bridal shower. I guess now would be a good time to tell you that I got engaged in March and getting married in September... :)   The colors of the new line were perfect for this project, green for the
color of the wedding and pink and purple to add a romantic touch. I
even used part of the packaging (from the brads) as you can see on the
inside front cover of the tabbed, chipboard book (by Zsiage). Want to win the Noteworthy collection? Click here! Know a bride-to-be? This would make a darling gift for the next bridal shower you attend. Have a wonderful day!! christy
gift ideas
5/29/2008 8:45:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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