Snowflake Card Trio

I know I wanted this blog to be about scrapbooking, but we're in the Christmas season and I've been inspired to make Christmas cards!! My inspiration for this card was found on Jan Tink's blog. I loved her card so much, I just had to break out of my rut and make one...I mean three!!

This is the first card I created using Jan's as inspiration. I used kraft CS as the base. I stamped the background with SU's Paisley background in Ranger's Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap, then sprayed with Gold Maya Mist to give it some shimmer. I matted that layer with CM's gold metallic paper. The layers are notched at the corner with SU's corner ticket punch (a favorite of mine!) For the snowflake, I cut that out with my favorite scrapbooking tool, my Cricut Expression-Winter Woodland cart, snowflake 4 (I used real dial size/layers option).

Next, the center design was created using:
SU's scallop circle punch-gold paper,
SU's 1 3/8 in circle punch-cream CS,
CM 1 1/4 in circle punch-gold paper,
CM 1 in-cream CS(stamped image is from SU Party Punch, same ink as above)

The bottom trim was cut 1 in wide, then punch with Fiskars Threading Water punch, wrapped with cream ribbon. I pop dotted both the snowflake and the center scallop.

After talking with some fellow crafters (Beck and Suzie), I just had to experiment with some different colors of metallic paper. I thought a pink snowflake card would be pretty and I'm pretty happy with the results. This card was made with the same basic design, with a few changes. The pink metallic paper came from a paper pack I bought at Walmart and white CS. The dotted background is actually CS from the Co'oredinations Whitewash collection, embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, sanded slightly to bring out the pink color. (Co'oredinations CS is fun to use. I really liked the results on this card.) The center was created the same as the above card, but using CTMH Blush ink to stamp the image. The snowflake was sprayed with Elmer's Spray Adhesive, then sprinkled with Crystal Coarse (MS Frosty Gingerbread Glitter pack). OMG!! It's so sparkly IRL!! The picture just doesn't do it justice. Finished off with white satin ribbon.

I think the blue snowflake card is my favorite, although I think that whenever I look at each card! Same basic design as the first two, but this time the background was created using SU glossy CS and an alcohol ink technique. I have a few alcohol inks, but not a large variety of colors, so I borrowed a neat trick I learned from Juli P. and soaked my felt in rubbing alcohol and added a few drops of SU reinkers-Bashful Blue, Soft Sky and Night of Navy, mixed with a drop of TH Metallic Silver mixative. Randomly stamped on the glossy CS, the "alcohol inks" slowly bled together creating a marbled stone look. This time, the snowflake was stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with glittery, embossing powder!! Looovvve it!! Center image was stamped with Night of Navy. Finished with silver ribbon.

So, that's it. There are the 3 Christmas cards I've made. Guess I have some work ahead of me because I don't want to give these away! I've told you my favorite, now tell me which one you like!

Till next time!

TryScrapbooking,

Lara

SNOW time like the PRESENT!!

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for the next blog entry....I've decided to post 2 projects today! My computer is now up and running top speed!!-thanks to the tech-y husband.

SNOW TIME.....

I created this layout for a swap. It was a simple design  meant to use your 4x6 photos, no cropping required! I cut strips from a DCWV paper pack (can't remember exactly which one). The main technique I want to focus on for this page is the title. I cut the letters out in vellum using my Cricut- Mickey Font. I used Liquid Applique on each letter. **If you've never used this before, you should try it. It has a tip so you can really place it where you'd like and then get that heat gun out!! The Liquid Applique PUFFS up!! So cool. I've gotten more compliments on this layout just for that technique. When I was adding the photos to the layout, I thought it still needed something, so I used a white marker to draw a stitched outline on each of the letters. I thought it made them pop more. Be careful when heating....vellum is VERY easy to burn and it will turn brown. The pink rectangle is supposed to be the journaling box (notice the "blankness"). Hope you like it!

...THE PRESENT!!!

I signed up for a Christmas Thank You card swap in Dec. 2007. I had to create a card using "The 3 Wise Men" as my inspiration. So I thought a little pull-out insert would be cute. It was pretty simple to make. I used Basic Grey's Blitzen paper. A little stamped sentiment and Voila!! (BTW, tooting my own horn here....I was voted the best card! A total shock to me since there were some beautiful entries. Thanks, MW!)

Have fun, tell your friends!

Tryscrapbooking,

Lara

Apples!

I created this layout on my first scrapbook weekend retreat. Again, another hand-drawn tree that I just inked. I also used some Creative Memories pieces-the apple-filled crates. I used apple die cuts for the left side border accents and just red cardstock to mat a few key pictures. Pretty simple layout, but that's the direction I tend to lean. I chose the title, "Apple Pickin' Up" because all the apples had dropped from the trees about a week before we made it. Still perfectly good apples on the good and easier for the kids to get. Beautiful day, and although there aren't pictures to prove it, Salina and her kids were there too.

We rake, we pile, we JUMP!!

This was the layout I designed and created for the Fall Swap (same one as the previous post). I drew the tree shape by hand (using my arm as a guide), cut it out and embossed a wood grain texture, then inked it up. Next the 2 big leaves--I traced a leaf shape and handcut them all out, folded "veins" into the paper and inked the lines, then I swiped several Colorbox inks over it to give it a more realistic coloring. Next, I used a Chatterbox template and dotted lines for movement. The leaf border at the bottom is a patterned paper by DCWV that I hand cut. There is a small tag hidden under the leaf pile for my journaling, with a cute fall-themed ribbon scrap from Doodlebug Design. Basic photo mats, nothing special. The Mickey font alphabet stamp set from CTMH (one of my fav alpha sets) made the title SUPER fast and easy to do. The main thing I want to point out in this layout is all the HAND cutting--keep in mind, that I had to make 17 of these. It was fun (I can say that now because it's over) and I was hoping to create a layout that was useful and fun!

Hope this inspires you to take some fun Fall leaf photos!

Tryscrapbooking,

Lara

Okay, since we're almost finished with October, I better get some fall things posted. This is a layout that I received in a swap I did (2 years ago?) from Joanne S. We had to make enough 2 page layouts for 17 people. (Far too many, in my opinion, but it was fun to get the pages once all the hard work was over.) That's a lot of pumpkins to cut out!!

I added 2 photos to the LO to make it fit what I needed. (The swap guidelines said 4 photo mats.) BUT...that's what so great about doing swaps!! Once they're yours, you can change things to fit what you need. I really didn't have to alter this one, but I have pried off photo mats on others to turn them to an orientation that fit my photos. So, that's my tip of the day....dust off those swap pages and alter them to fit what best suits your photos. I have LOTS of other swap pages that you'll see, so keep checking back and maybe you'll see a layout that YOU created!!

Tryscrapbooking,

Lara

For my next trick.....
This is a card I made for my SIL and BIL for their anniversary on Wednesday. They had a fall wedding so every year, I try to make them a fall-themed card. This one was insprired by a card I found here. My pictures didn't turn out as well. Natural, non-direct sunlight is the best to photograph your projects. Too bad I'm a night owl!!

Anyway, I used Tim Holtz alcohol inks (Butterscotch, Wild Plum, Cranberry) on glossy photo paper to create the background for the leaf. The leaf was stamped with my brand new CTMH Nature's Vein, then heat embossed with clear powder. I stamped the veins using brown Staz-On. The leaf was stamped with Versamark ink on regular cardstock that I sponged with 3 different ink colors-CTMH Hollyhock, SU So Saffron and CTMH Sunflower. I dry embossed scraps of cardstock using the Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers embossing folder for the 4 squares and brown cardstock for the matting and background. The tag was a chipboard tag I found in my collection that I swiped with Colorbox inks and stamped with a phrase from CTMH From Me to You. I finished it off with some brown ribbon. I cut out the leaf shape and raised it with pop dots, then popped up the entire center mat image.

I hope you like it!! It's really much prettier in person. I'll have to keep working on my photography skills or at least take my pics during the day :)!
Tryscrapbooking (or card making!),
Lara

This was the first scrapbook page I ever made---Jan. 2005. Like many people, I got started by going to a Creative Memories party (Thanks, Liz!!). WELL....I had seen the light!!! The next thing I knew, I was scouring the internet trying to learn all I could about scrapbooking!! I was hooked!!

This page features my daughter, Peyton. I'm sure you can see the circle cut with the CM cutting system (which I no longer use) and the wavy trimmer (sorry, don't use that anymore either). Still not bad for my first time out. I added the duck cut-out and dotted letter stickers (boy, that's dating things) later.

Keep checking back to see how my scrapbooks have evolved in the past 4 1/2 years!!
tryscrapbooking,
Lara

Okay....now I'm ready!

I spent the afternoon today taking pictures of my favorite scrapbooking layouts, cards and projects. I would like to briefly talk about each one. Hopefully, sharing ideas and giving any readers some inspiration.

Now to figure out how to post a picture.....

See you soon!
Lara