I found some fun cork contact paper at Target and knew I had to make something with it. Since it's already self-adhesive, you can draw or trace a shape on the back of the contact paper and then cut it out. I cut out a flower and added a felt flower and fabric brad to the center. I also used the corners of the square and the scrap piece of cork on the inside of the card. I love finding new uses for things that I might already have laying around the house. I'm looking forward to making many more projects with this cork contact paper!

My first ever hybrid card. I must say that I am pretty excited about how it
turned out. I have been experimenting more with digital and paint lately, and
this project was a great way to bring the two together.





You can create something similar by following these simple steps:

1. Cut out a template from a neutral piece of cardstock. (My
template is a 5x10-inch rectangle. When it's folded, the final size is
a 5x5 inch square.)

2. Find a digital piece of paper that you love and print it. (I printed
a design by Tiff Brady at We Are StoryTellers.) If you
don't have any digital elements, find a piece of patterned paper and use that
instead.



3. Cut out your paper design and glue it on your template.

4. Find embellishments that complement the paper’s design and adhere
them to the card. (I used felt and paper flowers, a brad and white ribbon.)

5. Choose paint colors that complement your card’s colors. Take a small
paint brush or sponge, and paint around the sides of your card, or around
the main design on your card. (I used red acrylic paint and several shades of green to
paint around the flowers to draw attention to them.)

6. I cut a strip off the front of the card with scalloped shears to add a
decorative edge to the card and to reveal a portion of the inside of the
card (a great place to hand write something!).

7. Let the paint dry before you decorate the inside of the card.

8. Finally, add any photos, embellishments and paint to the inside of the card.
(I used a little card that I got from Moo.com, painted around its edges with
the same paint colors I used on the front of the card, and then added little
Pearls.)

Add your sentiment and a stamp and mail it to someone you really care about.
Trust me, they will never throw this card away :)

Oh, and here are some fun photos from my bridal shower. I have to tell you that my fabulous sister made the cupcakes. Aren't they gorgeous and so professional looking?) I can't wait to add all my photos to the album I made.




Have a great day!
christy

I love finding new uses for items that might normally be thrown away. In this layout, I used packaging from Fancy Pants Designs and Making Memories as embellishments. I cut off the scalloped edge of the Fancy Pants packaging and inked it with a brown ink. I used the top of the packaging from Making Memories' Noteworthy collection and inked the edges in blue. I also found this little brown notebook with paper samples on our the bistro here at work. I cut out the three holes and used the paper samples to show some of the reasons why I love Zach's heart.

(F.Y.I. The bistro counter is the place where people leave objects they no longer need or want in our office. It could be anything from food to free books and magazines. It's important to pass by the bistro several times a day to check out the goods.)

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

Inspiration: I created this page based on a piece of artwork my grandma created many years ago. She's been gone now for a few years, but there's a part of me that wishes she could see the things I'm creating right now. The journaling says: Sometimes I wish you could see the artist in you is now a part of me.

Supplies:
Letter stickers, Paint: Making Memories
Cricut machine/cartridge: Provocraft
Cardstock: misc.
Patterned paper: BasicGrey

Create something. Inspire everyone.
GinaMarie

My weekend was a happy mess of patterned paper, acrylic paint, ink and other lovely supplies. I wanted to play and experiment. I wasn’t sure what the end result would be, but sometimes, it’s liberating to fearlessly play with your supplies and just see what happens. Normally, I feel frustrated when I smear ink or paint, but this weekend, I embraced those imperfections. I just wanted to create.

Today I’m happy to share my imperfect creations with you and tell you a little bit about how they came together. It’s my hope that you’ll be inspired to get messy and create, too—to fearlessly experiment with your supplies and just see what happens!




dessert love

Supplies:
Patterned paper, sticker (KI Memories)
Letter stickers (American Crafts, EK Success)
Transparency (Graphix)
Misc.: kraft cardboard, foam adhesive, acrylic paint, staples, ink, notebook paper

I was inspired by Assistant Editor GinaMarie’s use of a transparency to frame a photo, so I created this page. First, I experimented by laying down multiple strips of patterned paper and my photo. I then used foam adhesive to place a transparency on top of the photo. I embellished the transparency with acrylic paint, using the bottom of a pen to stamp paint circles around the edge of the transparency. The felt title letters and “love” sticker were added on top of the transparency to create another subtle layer. I then inked the edges of the page to add additional texture. It was an accident that the ink ended up being so thick (and that I smeared it a bit on the patterned papers), but it lends personality to the page.

Story behind the page: This page is a tribute to one of my favorite restaurants—Aladdin’s Eatery. When I moved to Cincinnati to work for Memory Makers, I was completely bummed that the closest Aladdin’s Eatery was in Columbus. (Yes, I checked the corporate site when I moved.) However, I just found out that there’s a new Aladdin’s right here in Cincinnati! (And you can bet I’ll be doing a page about my first trip to eat there!)

Creative Prompt: Create a layout about your favorite restaurant. (Hint: Sometimes, getting good food shots can be tricky. Click here to see a page by Assistant Editor GinaMarie and get a few pointers. And remember that lighting is key. When I took the dessert photo above, I took advantage of the fact that we were eating outside and the natural light was perfect.)


 

permanent ally

Supplies:
Epoxy sticker, patterned paper (KI Memories)
Label sticker (Autumn Leaves)
Letter stickers (American Crafts)
Misc.: graph paper, kraft paper, acrylic paint, bubble wrap, staples, date stamp, ink

I played with acrylic paint on this page, too, using bubble wrap to stamp circles on my kraft cardstock. This layout came together quite quickly. After laying down a few strips of patterned paper and the photo, I added a torn piece of graph paper as a journaling spot, a label sticker for the date and my title. To finish the page, I added the epoxy sticker at the top, left corner of the photo.

I recently purchased the date stamp used on this page, and I’ve had a lot of fun playing with it. (Staying with the imperfect theme of this blog entry, I love the messy look of the stamp. It’s not always straight and the ink sometimes smudges a bit. It’s great!)

Story behind the page: My sister sent me a great text message a few weeks ago, telling me that she’s a permanent ally for me. I thought it was such a funny and cute thing to say. I knew I wanted to scrapbook the memory.

Creative Prompt: Create a page about a funny or memorable text message or e-mail you’ve recently received.

I hope you’re inspired this week to dig out some of your supplies and play. And for another creative prompt, click here.

Wishing you a very inspired week,

Katie