Nutz about Stamping

Here's how to celebrate the beauty of spring

In the past few weeks I have tried to take a walk every single day, knowing that it is good for my well-being to get some fresh air and exercise. 

I will say that I do feel better after my walk and I have already seen a difference in how I look too. One day a take a half-hour walk and the next I take an hour and 10 minute walk - both through a beautiful forest that is near to where I live. 

Along with my daily walk I have started to notice signs of spring along the way - to trees (finally) budding leaves, to all the flowers that are now blooming. When I see something that really strikes me as beautiful I have stopped to snap a photo or two with my phone. 

This week I decided to take a couple of my photos and create a scrapbook page - to celebrate the beauty of spring and also to remember that life does go on despite all the tragedy I feel happening in the world. When it came tome to make my scrapbook page I chose colors that matched the colors in my photos:

• Mossy Meadow
• Mint Macaron
• So Saffron
• and a touch of Real Red

I also decided to use some left over Garden Lane designer series paper - the name says it all!

Garden Lane Designer Series Paper
$11.50

 

 

 

 

 

The design of this page was a bit of a challenge but ideas started to flow I knew that I wanted to create some small and some large daisies as embellishments. 

Enter my daisy punches!

Daisy Punch
$18.00

Medium Daisy Punch
$16.00

I don't currently own a printer so for my title, rather than print something I used my Lined Alphabet stamp set and colored the letters in the title with my Mossy Meadow Dark Stampin' Blend. 

Lined Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set
$34.00

 

 

 

Here's my final page. I will likely add a journaling box to record not only this time in history but also how I was feeling. These are the times that are important not only to capture but also to remember. 

What memories are you capturing at this moment in time and what will you do with them? 

Have you ever made this funny mistake?

I shouldn't even admit this but it's funny - or not funny. Let me start with my backgrounders story to help you understand why this happened.

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I was going to start scrapbooking again. I really miss capturing my memories and even thought I doubt that I will every share my scrapbooks with anyone, they are a record of my life. And that's important to me. 

I am very fortunate to have a job that takes me all over the world. There have been so many amazing place that I have visited that I decided to do something with all the photos I have been gathering in the past few years. I know that with time I will forget some of these memories so decided to get back to a crafting hobby that I really loved. 

So I decided to purchase a photo printer so that I can't use the lack of photos or time to get them printed as my excuse. And I will just scrapbook in my free time and enjoy doing it. 

I also wanted to use some of my crafting supplies on my pages - as they were also gathering dust which is a shame. So spurred to make my first page in a year or more, I chose two photos from a recent trip. As there are leaves in one of the photos I decided that my base page would have leaves stamped all over it using the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set and Versamark ink:

Good Morning Magnolia Cling Stamp Set
$36.00

 

 

 

I saw a scrapbook page map on Pinterest that I loved that would give me guidance:

I used the colors in my photos for the banners layers and the only thing I was struggling with was the title. 

And then I remembered that I have the Lined Alphabet stamp set!

Lined Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set
$34.00

 

 

 

 

So I created my title using the Lined Alphabet stamp set and colored each letter to match my banner colors.

The final touch was adding my photos and some matching sequins and my page was done!

And it was two days later when I realized: this it NOT Barcelona! This is Geneva!!! Oh my gosh. Now what!

Have you ever made this funny mistake?

 

You need to see the Night Before Christmas suite!

The Holiday Catalog has been live for under a week so it's time to turn those pages and start noticing things! As you explore, here's a wish list so you can pencil in your favorites as you go. 

Click on the photo above to download a full page list!

So, where shall we begin? How about with a product suite? What is a product suite you ask? Great question! It is like a complete bundle of coordinating products that you can purchase in all together OR as separate products too.

You will design your cards, tags, scrapbook pages (etc) all on your own. Think of the suite as a one-stop shop. As a grouping of products that Stampin' Up! has selected for you, for hours of crafting fun. 

So now that you have your catalog, turn to page 24. Introducing the Night Before Christmas product medley (order #153470)! Also available in French and German. 

Night Before Christmas Suite Bundle (En)
$90.50

 

The Night Before Christmas Suite bundle gives you a coordinating selection of products with one simple purchase. It includes the stamp set and tool bundle at 10% off plus one each of the other items listed. Also available in French and German.

The Night Before Christmas Suite Bundle includes
* Holly Jolly Christmas Cling Stamp Set (10% off)
* Jolly Season Dies (10% off)
* Night Before Christmas Memories & More Card Pack
* Night Before Christmas Memories & More Cards & Envelopes
* Night Before Christmas 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper
* Cherry Cobbler 3/8" (1 cm) Diagonal Stripe Ribbon

Add ink, cardstock, and adhesive to complete your project.

My friend Santa, is here to show you more! 

 

You need to see how to create your own scrapbook paper designs

Have you ever made your own scrapbook page background designs? I got the idea to give this a try and I am so happy I did. I knew from the start that I wanted to use the Verdant Garden stamp set and randomly stamped the two images all over a piece of 12x12 Whisper White card stock:

Verdant Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set
$16.00

Because this set is photopolymer it was so easy to stamp one image on top of the other.

Next I decided to feature only one single photo on my page. 

 

But that single layer seemed a bit lost on my page so I added a journaling layer and used two of the sticker strips in the Magnolia Lane Memories & More card kit on either side. The phrase comes from the Colorful Seasons stamp set:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set
$27.00

Of course the photo I select to feature on this page will really make it a stand out and I hope that for now I have given you some courage to make your own background paper on your next pages. It's fun especially when you can:

• choose your colors: soft, bright, coordinating, contrasting
• choosing stamp set designs: large, small, layered (like mine) 
• choosing where to stamp: across the top, bottom, up one side or both, or randomly like I did
• create pages that are a perfect match for your photos and memories, now or in the future

How to create the perfect life adventure page

When you first saw the Come Sail Away product suite in Stampin' Up!s Annual Catalog, did you say to yourself: this is not for me, because I don't sail/live near the ocean or think I don't go on ocean cruises? Well, think again. These products are perfect to feature ALL life adventures, watery or not!

Yes, there is clearly an underlying nautical theme but think beyond that. These colors are perfect for travel pages, masculine pages, goals and ambitions, graduations and much more. 

When you scrapbook, do you tend to stick to the same type of layout? I sure do, so this week I challenged myself to try a layout that was outside my comfort zone. And that would be a photo that features a single photo. 

First I chose the colors and Come Sail Away card pack cards that I wanted to use. Next I turned to the sticker sheets to use as additional features on the page. 

A really fun feature is the 'Happy' double (night of navy and soft suede) phrase which I layered. Don't you love that!

The Sailing Home stamp made a soft background over the entire Balmy Blue base. The final touch was to add one of the Sail Away Trinkets, just for another eye-catching element that adds texture to the page. 

Here's my page:

As you can see this page was created to remember a particularly happy day in my life, on water or not it really doesn't matter, does it?

If you want to purchase the products to make pages like these, click the 'SHOP NOW' button on the right side of this page (shopping cart). That button will take you over to my online store. 

How to scrapbook like a boss

Scrapbooking doesn't have to be complicated to be fun and in just a few steps you can create a beautiful page and have everyone convinced you are a scrapbooking boss!

Here's how I created the page below. Follow my steps and be prepared at what you will create.

Step one: Choose your designer paper and let it be your color and style guide.  

For my page, I chose Magnolia Lane: I love the colors and patterns.

Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper
$11.50

Step two: Choose your main page layout color. Pick one of the colors in your designer paper.

Step three: cut one strip of designer paper 12" x 2". Cut a second pattern 5" x 7".

Step four: adhere both designer strips to your page (see page photo below).

Step five: Cut three photo mats 5 1/2" x 3 1/2". Pick a photo mat color that coordinates with your designer paper.

Step six: choose a journaling card and embellishments. This is where Stampin' Up! can help, with their fabulous card and embellishment packs:

Magnolia Lane Memories & More Card Pack
$11.00

 

 

Step seven: Add other fun embellishments that coordinate in style and color:

Magnolia Lane Cork Embellishments
$8.00

Step 8: choose a stamp set and stamp an image (or more!) on your page to help pull the layout together. Another bonus from Stampin' Up! with their collection suggestions.

Good Morning Magnolia Cling Stamp Set
$36.00

Step nine: Add all the bits and pieces to finish your page!

Step ten: Add photos and journaling and prepare to look back years later and smile with the memories (and layout!) that you created!

How to create the perfect companion page

This week I made the perfect companion page to a recent Sailing Home scrapbook page that I posted a couple of weeks ago. I started with a matching Come Sail Away paper design and then chose a 12x12 sheet (Smoky Slate) as the base. 

I knew I wanted to use a phrase from the Sailing Home stamp set and decided to create a Smoky Slate banner to feature it:

Sailing Home Cling Stamp Set
$24.00

Next, I added three photo mats: two are 4 1/8" x 6 1/8"; one is 3" x 3".

 

My final touch was to add some additional embellishments: three sailboats and two compass rose(s). What is the plural of compass rose anyway! I popped each embellishment up using a Stampin' Dimensional for added visual interest. 

The banner in the middle of my page is really for journaling. Once I add my photos and journaling I will then think about adding a touch of sparkle to my page, perhaps some white Basic Adhesive-backed Sequins?

Do you scrapbook? Would you like to see more page ideas to help you preserve your memories? Leave me a comment below and tell what you'd like to see in the weeks ahead!

Do you want to sail away under the beautiful sea?

Well now you can, with the fabulous Come Sail Away product suite! And today I have a fun scrapbook page using many of these elements. 

First, here's the suite, in case you haven't seen it yet:

I decided to make a page featuring two photos and to use up some of the Come Sail Away paper that I had left over from another project. After centering this paper strip down the middle of my page I then added two Basic Black photo frames, one on either side. 

Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper
$11.50

 

Then I turned to the Memories & More card pack in this suite and chose 2 cards to compliment the grey and black theme that seemed to be emerging. 

And finally, to match my paper design I die-cut two underwater plants to add some visual interest to each of the cards. The final touch was to add some Adhesive-backed Sequins for a final sparkly touch. 

Here's my page:

After I find and add the perfect photos for my page I may add some additional elements and if I do I will add a photo to this blog post as well. 

If you want to see another scrapbook page I created using the same Come Sail Away suite, click here!

In life it's important to take the scenic route

Are you the type of person who takes the scenic route in life? I sure am because there is so much to see and do in such a short span of time. 

My life experiences have taught me that you shouldn't wait for the right time or moment. You need to take life by the horns and go for it! Whether at home, at work, or....all the time!

Today's blog post is sharing a product suite that has retired but I promised myself I would use it all up before moving on to any new supplies. And besides, you can take my idea and use products you have on hand, right? 

The moment I spotted the Best Route suite on Stampin' Up!s display boards I knew that I had met a crafter's dream. So many fun products and I bought them ALL once that catalog when live. 

I have created a few pages using this suite and posted them here on my blog. Check here and here for a couple of ideas. 

I had so much fun creating today's page. I used up one of the Washi Tape rolls (New Year's Resolution, check!) and came up with a fun idea using one of the Memories & More cards:

• I trimmed the phrase "Always take the scenic route" from the card to use separately down the left side
• I then used one of the left over pieces of the same card to create a banner in the middle of my page. I simply turned it over to use the striped side!

Here's my page!

I am sad to see this product suite retire. I only have a few more bits and pieces left so watch for another page using them, coming soon!

 

 

Capture your life adventures with this fun suite

Today I have another Come Sail Away product suite idea - a memory (scrapbook) page to help you capture and record your life adventures!

This suite is super cool - there are so many products to help make crafting a breeze! 

My page layout is not the usual so let me explain my design process:

• I chose the Memories & More card first and decided that it would sit in the middle of my page, popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals in the middle of the card so I can easily slide photos underneath. 
• I chose a second card from the same pack, one for journaling
• Because of the size of these two cards, I created three 4" x 4" photo frames
• I stamped and die-cut the sailboat and lighthouse
• I die-cut the two steering wheels and rope images
• I stamped the two bird images and then placed the sailboat and lighthouse

After adhering everything down I still see one open spot at the top of my page. What would you put there? For now I am going to leave it blank - maybe after I add my photos I will figure out that final touch to complete my page. 

If you have life adventures that you want to preserve, click here to link over to my online store and purchase this amazing product suite! 

Last chance for the perfect products for memory keeping

If you love to travel like I like to travel then I hope you are doing something with those amazing photos you are collecting on all of your devices. 

The Stampin' Up! Annual catalog (retiring soon!) offered the perfect product suite for those of us who love to travel: Best Route! These products are amazing and offer you such a variety of options for memory keeping. And this is your last chance to order them because they will ALL be retiring at the end of this month. 

Best Route Enamel Shapes
$7.00

Best Route Washi Tape
$5.50

Best Route Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Best Route Designer Series Paper
$11.00

En Route Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$21.00

I bought everything in the Best Route suite when it was first revealed and have made so many fun page ideas using it. I have also used many of these products for cards. 

I used several of the Best Route products to make the page below. Color coordination was super easy, following the colors in the designer series paper. The page was also very easy because I used the Best Route Memories & More card pack for my journaling cards. Add some embellishments and washi tape and my page is done:

My photo layers are 1/4" larger than the photos will be so some Mango Melody will frame them nicely. 

The Best Route suite is retiring at the end of this month - that means all of these products will be gone for good (sob). If you want to add them to your crafting collection, click the image below to link over to my online store - don't wait as once these products are sold out, they are gone for good!

If you want to see a video showing you how to create a Best Route memories pocket page, click here! 

How to create a happy and colorful scrapbook page

If you love memory keeping or scrapbooking, I have such a happy and colorful Happiness Blooms page idea to show you today. I used the following products and some scraps of Night of Navy, Whisper White and Call Me Clover - and that's it!

 

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Variety Pack 12" X 12" Photo Pocket Pages
$7.50

You can click on any of the small photos above to link over to my online store to place a product order - and qualify for a FREE Sale-a-bration item (until March 31st). 

Let me walk you through my design process. 

The first card was super easy to make: I layered Call Me Clover onto Night of Navy and then onto a 4" x 6" Whisper White. The square is for a photo and the remaining white space on the side is for a photo title or journaling.  The final touch on this card was three punched flowers:

The card below used one of the card pack cards with a square of Call Me Clover on top - for another photo. The Whisper White banner and floral embellishment (from the card pack) completed this card:

The card below used one of the card pack cards and I added a Call Me Clover and punched flower embellishment. I could add a photo but most likely will leave it blank. 

The card below is another card pack card with a square of Call Me Clover added on top. I finished it off with a Night of Navy banner and flower sticker embellishment:

The next cards is a 4" x 6" card from the pack. I added a Whisper White layer with a sticker border. This will be my title card for my page. 

The two cards below are for journaling and come from the card pack. I left them plain:

And here is my final Happiness Blooms page using all the cards above - ready for my next adventure. I slid all the page cards into one of the Photo Pocket Pages, ready for my photos and memories:

See how easy it is to create a scrapbook or Memories & More page? Why not give it try and preserve your fun life memories too!

See the best product for memory keeping

If you love memory keeping as much as I do, you probably have a really nice stash of supplies for your pages. As do I. But if you don't have the Large Letter framelits I want to recommend them to you and show you a fun page idea using them. 

Large Letters Framelits Dies
$99.00

Here's why I love these dies:

• Create die-cut letters and symbols in seconds with these dies and your Big Shot
• Their open design allows you to place them where you want for precise cutting
• Combine die cuts to create your own messages

For my page design, I started with the Needlepoint Nook paper. (Tip: let your paper colors guide your page colors)

Needlepoint Nook 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

 

I decided my page base would be Blushing Bride and the accent colors would be Night of Navy, Crushed Curry and Poppy Parade. I wanted my page to be for some summer photos so chose to create "SUMMER" as my title using the Large Letter framelits. 

For accents I used the Bitty Blooms punch pack because I wanted to match the flower style and colors in the Needlepoint Nook paper. I created a layer banner and as a final touch I used a different pattern of the designer paper for faux washi tape and the strip under my page title. 

If you would like to invest in the perfect product for your scrapbook/memory keeping pages, click here to head to my online store. Consider sharing the cost and the framelits with your crafty friends! These letter dies are also fun for card making. 

Preserve your memories with this fun layout challenge

If you have been following my blog for the past few years you may have noticed that I have lost my memory keeping mojo - and seldom posted scrapbook or Project Life layouts. 

Well no more of that nonsense. What helped me get my mojo back was joining a Facebook page called Scrapbooking for Newbies. The owner of this page placed an order at my online store and then she invited me to join her group. I happily joined because I wanted to get back into memory keeping simply because I love it. 

Last week Kimberly (the group owner) posted this fun layout challenge:

I decided to give it a go and see what I could come up with to share over on our group page. 

I chose my Best Route product suite to help me with my layout:

Best Route Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Best Route Designer Series Paper
$11.00

Best Route Enamel Shapes
$7.00

These products make scrapbooking a breeze! I used one of the card pack cards as my title and a second card for a journaling spot, then used my Tailored Tag punch and left over bits of the Best Route designer paper to punch the shapes across the middle of the page - rather than use squares. 

I am delighted with my page and now need to grab some photos to finish it off:

If you scrapbook, why not join our fun layout challenge on your next page? And consider joining our Facebook group - newbies or not newbies are welcome! 

How to create a fun (and easy) thank you card

The card I want to share today was so fun and easy to create, thanks to my Big Shot. I love this tool and use it almost every week to show you a card idea on my YouTube channel.

If you have been following my blog for a few weeks you will also know that I am so in love with the Happiness Blooms card pack. Yes these cards were designed for memory pages but Stampin' Up! titles these projects as Memories & More. One possibility for more is for card making. 

I wanted to create a thank you card for an online order I received last week and so that was my goal. First I found a super cute card in the Happiness Blooms pack which I layered onto Night of Navy:

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

 

Then I die-cut a Night of Navy 'thanks' using the Well Written dies:

Well Written Framelits Dies
$40.00

I also decided to emboss the Whisper White card base using the Scattered Sequins folder because the pattern reminded me a bit of the flowers on the Happiness Blooms card:

Scattered Sequins Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
$10.00

 

I added a Lovely Lipstick bow and two punched flowers using the Bitty Blooms punch pack (LOVE THESE!):

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

and my thank you card was done! 

If you want to order the products I used to make this fun (and easy!) thank you card, click the link to my online store below: