Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L & Clearsnap Blog Hop

Well, isn't this a busy blog week for me!  Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L has teamed up with Clearsnap for a blog hop, and I'm sharing my project today as part of the hop.

Here is a Halloween card I designed using a combination of Clearsnap and Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L products. The papers and stickers are Simple Stories.

There are more photos and techniques shared on the Adhesives blog.....plus a PRIZE if you leave comments, so click HERE to join in the hop!

You can also click HERE to visit the Clearsnap blog too.  This hop ends Friday, so be sure to head over there today!

Happy hopping!

Back To School !

It's that time of the year when all parents are kicking up their heels because it's Back to School! This summer I did enjoy not rushing around in the morning, worrying about missing the bus, forgetting books and lunches and telling the girls, "No, you can't wear  THAT to school!" ha ha

But routine is good for us, too, and now I will have more of a routine time to blog and scrapbook.

Here is a layout I designed for the Create & Connect trade show in Vegas, and it's up on The Crafty Power blog. I used 4 of the 3D foam Designer Shapes:  wings, stars, heart, and rectangle/frame:

I have a simple tutorial on how I made those red stars....so click HERE to visit their blog and check it out.  The papers are FancyPants Designs and the stamps are Stampin' Up! and Graphic 45 (alphabet). The silver glitter is EK Success/Martha Stewart.

Confession:  The photo is from last year's first day of school.  Here is this year's pics from last week:

BabyOfTheFamily is in Grade 8

DramaQueen is in Grade 11

BoyGenius heads off to University

Oh well, two out of three isn't bad. Ha!  

ScrapThat! July Kit Tutorials

Today I have two video tutorials posted on the ScrapThat! blog using the wonderful July kit.

The first technique I share is how to create a simple tulle flower that is on my vintage wedding layout.

On my second layout, I used the Prima stamp and Smooch ink from the kit to alter these scrabble tiles for my title:

So stop by the ScrapThat! blog by clicking HERE and enjoy the videos!

Inked!

June seems to be running away on me, so before it does, here is my take on Sue Sykes' June sketch:

BabyOfTheFamily is 13 and experiments with her hair.  A LOT.  She found some YouTube tutorials on how to colour hair using chalk.  The best part?  It's temporary!

As she is talking about trying this out, I say, "Hey, let's get out my Clearsnap Chalk Inks and give it a go."  [I probably shocked her with my enthusiasm]

The bright red and teal parts are blond streaks she coloured with the ink, but I think the purple showed up well at the dark bottom parts of her hair.

TIP 1:  After rubbing the chalk ink against your hair, heat set it a bit with a blow dryer. 

TIP 2:  Vibrant and bright ink colours work best.

And the part I was happiest about?  It cost nothing!

I used Glitz Design"Uncharted Waters" collection that has some fun plastic embellishments.....

Vintage slides

A cute banner

One of my favourite butterfly punches

I cut some chevrons from patterned paper

My Little Shoebox glitter alphabet stickers

I didn't colour my own hair, but I did alter the colour of my title letter stickers using a Spectrum Noir alcohol ink marker.  I got a great deal on my markers over at Canuck Crafts.  Click HERE to visit their online store.  Awesome service....and they know everything there is to know about alcohol markers.

Here is my quick video tutorial on how I coloured these alphabet stickers.  Or you can click HERE to watch it on YouTube.

After you're finishing colouring your hair....or your alphabet stickers..... stop by the Sketchy Challenge site over at Canadian Scrapbooker and have some fun!

Kickin' It with Kaisercraft

On Sunday, my baby boy turned 18.  Gulp.  Shocking but true.

BoyGenius on his FIRST birthday :)

We had lots of wonderful family time all weekend with him, and a very special guest showed up as a "Surprise!"

His Uncle Howard surprised him and flew in from Nicaragua to celebrate his birthday

His sister decorated the cake

Not a cake kinda guy...thus the chocolate strawberries.

Quite awhile ago I decided to work on birthday layouts right after they happened....when everything is fresh in my mind.  So I grabbed a photo of BoyGenius from Sunday and looked for papers.

The Kaisercraft "75 Cents" collection is perfect for a 'guy page.'

I also found this sketch on the Kaisercraft blog, for their April Saturday sketch challenge...

And here is my layout based on the sketch...

Those cool number tags are a TM Exclusives product from my local scrapbook store, Treasured Memories.

The keys are older K & Company, and I cut that heart from a scrap piece of corrugated cardboard. 

 The copper wire is Art-C, and the chevron stamp is Bo Bunny. I used both Clearsnap and Prima chalk inks for the edges and on the heart.

I used a fine-tipped Sharpie to draw faux stitches

If you would like to see how this layout came together, I made a video tutorial.

Click HERE to watch it on YouTube....and you can also subscribe to my channel if you'd like to watch more of my videos in the future.

I enjoyed designing with this Kaisercraft collection so much that I've already started another layout!  Stay tuned....

Summer Toes and a Sketch

In my mind, I blog once a week.  In reality, it seems that I don't, and before I know it the month has disappeared and new sketch challenges have arrived.


I find I'm keeping my sketch layouts fairly simple, which is a refreshing change.  And a relaxed summer schedule helps to simplify my life at home.  I call it the 3 C's ....Cooking, Cleaning and Crafting.  Aside from the house stuff, I am outdoors a lot ...and on the computer a little.  Here up north, we have to take advantage of the short summer months!


For the Canadian Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge, Jill Sarginson designed this wonderful sketch...

And I designed this summery fun page....

This is the first time I used Stampin Up papers, and I thought they were perfect for the bright colourful summer theme of my layout.  The background paper looks stamped with doilies, but nope, it's just one piece of patterned paper!


Along with the Stampin Up papers, I also used their pearls on the butterflies...

This is the alphabet stamp I used for the "Cute" letters in the title, called "Letter It"...

 The butterflies and journalling spot are created with Sizzix dies that are exclusive to Stampin Up...

I layered 2 of the butterflies....

And layered a white circle on top of the die cut for my journaling...

I stamped the title letters onto patterned paper, cut them out and popped them up on top of Stampin Up denim ribbon...

The "toe-tally" alphabet stickers and yellow lacy ribbon are from Harmonie.

If you haven't done so already, check out the BRAND NEW updated Sketchy Challenge gallery over at Canadian Scrapbooker.  Register as a member and you can interact in the forum, leaving comments and uploading your layouts.  Lots of inspiration!  Click HERE to check it out.


Now go paint your toes, slip on those cute summer sandals...and find a patio where you can relax with a cool drink :)  I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!!!!

May Sketchy Challenge

National Scrapbook Day has come and gone...and I am still in creative heaven after spending 3 days on a scrapbooking retreat with the amazing team from Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.  Good times, belly laughs and special friendships....all make for the perfect scrap happy event!

Today I thought I'd share my layout for the monthly Sketchy Challenge over at www.canadianscrapbooker.ca  

Here is the sketch by Jill Sarginson....

 And here is my layout....

BabyOfTheFamily is a child of nature and is happiest outdoors, enjoying God's creatures, great and small.

Did I interpret this sketch exactly or what?? ha ha!


I couldn't help it really.  The KaiserCraft papers were perfect for my design concept ....and I had a wonderful sheet of raw chipboard from Magenta (the tree, grass, clouds and sun).

The layered chipboard animals (including Bambi here) and stickers are all from the KaiserCraft "Tiny Woods" collection.  So Cute!

I decided to alter the Magenta chipboard pieces with Clearsnap's new Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx and embossing powders....LOVE them!

After inking and embossing the clouds with "Jasmine", I edged them in blue "Denim" ink. 

The tree is actually stamped with a Magenta leaf stamp, but the leafy images are masked by the UTEE.  The trunk is inked and embossed with Donna Salazar "Leather."

These are pigment inks and are wonderful to work with.  In fact, I'm determined to do more stamping, embossing and inking techniques on my layouts.  I am so lucky to be able to learn from the amazing Cathie Allen, who is a creative genius when it comes too ALL things crafty.  The way she uses stamps and inks is.....WOW.

You know what I love most about the Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx?  Their names! ha ha!
"Mossy....Leather....Denim....Jasmine....Chiffon...."

A whole bunch of YUMMY.

Here's a deep dark yearning of mine: I want a job naming inks!  Yes I do.  In fact, at the retreat last weekend, I announced this "wish" of mine and did some brainstorming of ink names. 

Mind you, this collection of inks is for crafters who are age 40+  ....

Varicose Vein Purple

Alimony Green

Age Spots Brown

Hot Flash Red

Grey Hair

What do you think?  My own line of Distress Inks to create that "Aged Look."  

Will Clearsnap hire me?