Kristin, Gayle, Julie and Diana welcome you to The Scrappy Tree!
We are four girls from different sides of the world who love to be creative. From California, Minnesota and Illinois in the US to Wales in the UK, we love sharing projects and trying something new, always keeping the sense of fun that brought us together.
Here we are on the last day of February.... how are those New Year's resolutions coming along? They slip so easily out of mind don't they!
We posted here last month about keeping them in mind all year long by making yourself a tag book. We'll be sharing one with you every month, and would love to hear which resolutions you're working on in 2011 :)
This month's resolution for me is....
Follow your interests and study hard! Learn, learn, learn....
This year I'm having a change of career so I want to work hard and learn as much about it as I possibly can; however, this resolution also extends to my interests! I always want to keep learning new things and look forward to trying out new crafts and techniques this year :) this year already I have been using a sewing machine on a few of my projects which is a new thing for me, and I love it!
What are your experiences with your resolutions? Now that we are two months into the year have you come up with some new plans to follow? Let us know how you're getting on!
Welcome to Art Journal Friday, come one, come all and bring some paper and crafting stuff! I've been thinking since the last time I posted this that I have been a bit lazy of late in making sure that it's completely clear that art journaling is open to EVERYBODY, and can be as serious or as fun as you want to make it :) if you need to get something off your chest, use art journaling; if you need to have some fun and play about with your supplies, make a mess and try out some new stuff... put it in your art journal! It's all good, all valid, and if you love or hate it, no one needs to know but you :)
The aim of our monthly prompt here is to maybe give you an idea to start you off on a page; you're free to take whatever you want from the prompt, and if some or all of it doesn't work for you, then that's ok too :) for me, I'm just happy to spread the art journal love!
This month I wanted to journal about something a little more personal to me; I am in the process of moving jobs, and had been working for my old employers for about 10 years! It's really made me evaluate my relationships with the people that I've worked with, and made me think about the advice, the knowledge, the inspiration they've passed on. I'm more thankful for their support towards me than they will ever know, and this month needed to work through how emotional I was feeling about that! There have been tears on this one people, I warn you! :-D
This month's prompt is inspire - journal about someone (maybe more than one person) who inspires you, and you want to say thank you to them. It might be that you're journaling thoughts that you don't feel comfortable to share with that person, or thoughts that actually you've already shared but you feel strongly about it and it will make for a great journaling experience for you :) if you want to cover it up under some paint/paper once you've written it then you can, it's your art journal (and personally I do that all the time!). Sometimes the process of getting it out of your brain and onto paper is the important thing, not that you record those thoughts for posterity!
If you do want to share your finished page with us, there is an Art Journal Friday group at our Ning community where I promise you will receive lots of love for your work! We are a supportive bunch and we love to see what you create :)
7 Gypsies always comes out with the most original display products in the scrappy market, and with there Receipt Holders they did not disappoint, for my project I used the small one, each space is 3”X5”
Something else about this receipt holder is that it inspired me to mix all these embellishments that I would normally not put together, and I really like the lost and found trinkets look
Then & Now is a display with a photo of my husband and I when we started dating and a most recent photo of us, I did not realize how much we’ve changed physically until I put these two photos together, the changes are huge and it’s kind of funny to think about the fact that we are in the last years of being young adults, but will definitely always be young at heart ;)
For any display where you have to leave the photos exposed, I recommend that you laminate them, and that way you’ll be protecting them from any damage. I like the Self-Adhesive Laminate by Therm O Web, it took me a little practice to get a clean film with no air bubbles and I’ve learned that it works even better with matte finish photos, do not use a bone folder or a ruler to smooth out the laminate, your thumb will be the best tool, the final results are fantastic.
Supplies used:
7 Gypsies Receipt Holder, Avignon paper and Tags, Antiquarian Journal Pages and Princesca Hardware Making Memories Paper Reverie Wrinkled seam binding Ribbon Tattered Angels Framed Fonts Tim Holtz Memo Pins Prima Hydrangeas Therm O Web Matte Self-Adhesive Laminate Dymo
I hope I was able to inspire you to make a display with your own then and now photos :)
Good morning! Monday's can be fun right??? I am wondering since it is snowing/sleeting yet again after a foot of snow yesterday! I thought I might be able to brighten up the day a bit with some inchies!
I made a bunch yesterday and I wanted them to have a focus. I decided that focus would be paper layering. First, I gathered up some of my basic supplies.
Since I had gone to a crafty day the day before, I thought I would used up some scraps from that day and only the supplies I brought on that day. My punches (particularly my 1 inch square punch) were a must!! Here are some of my creations from the day:
I'd love to see how you layer paper on your inchies. If you'd like to share, come on over to the Inchie group and upload!
I am enjoying a lovely day of rain, pj's, coffee, and a Colin Firth Marathon, started with the Bridget Jones movies, moving onto Love Actually and will end with Pride and Prejudice. I may throw in Nanny Mcphee if I can figure out where :)
Today I wanted to share a vintage inspired wall hanging I did. Graphic 45's latest releases were the start of the inspiration but once I dug into my stash and came across my Grandmothers old doilies and doll clothes, I felt even more inspired. She not only was quite a crafty person and known for her hand sewn Barbie and Doll clothes she sold, but she had a reputation as a fashionista as well. Being a See's Candy Girl for over 40 years was a perfect fit for her, since their uniform was always so clean and elegant. Growing up, I never remember seeing her without driving gloves and some sort of pearls or dangling earrings. When she passed away, I adopted all of her old stolls, gloves, sewing baskets and many more suitcases of treasures. Below a few of my favorites from today's adventure into her lovely things, I will try to pull out more later.
Some of her Doilies, aren't they lovey? I can't make myself use them but I like looking at them :)
These were her felt elf's that she made every Christmas. I love the pattern on the far left, I wish you could see first hand how worn out it is :)
This is a look inside one of her sewing baskets, lots of layers to dive into. I see one of her dolls dresses on top, she loved pink :)
On to my wall hanging inspired by the treasures above, these Graphic 45 papers remind me of her hair on older pictures, especially a old flapper dress I remember seeing her in.
I mixed a few layers for this project, some of her vintage pattern paper was used, the doilies will have to wait :) I pleated the pattern paper with some lace and an image off of some Steampunk G45 paper and added an old floral pin that seemed to fit. I also added a few crystal clear vintage buttons, some paper flowers in the perfect hue and as many layers of the gorgeous G45 paper I could find that would fit.
Well that's about all for today. I hope regardless of whatever weather you are having or chores you are catching up on, you all have an enjoyable weekend and hopefully a day off for President's Day if you are here in the states.
Hello and welcome to another mini album tutorial, today I am going to give you tips on how to make a Fast Mini Album.
I recommend that you do not use a bare chipboard album, pick one that already has color added to it, for example the Cosmo Cricket Blackboard, the Doodle Bug Plain and Simple White albums or in this case the Basic Grey’s Circle Milk Chocolate Chipboard album.
The round shape made my paper cutting even faster thanks to my Circle Cutter; this is a great tool I really recommend. Next was to make a Sketch, it is faster to finish several pages if you make them all in a similar design, you can also follow a sketch from the multiple sites that offer them for free.
Cut circles from different coordinating pattern paper. Next you’ll need to cut ea circle in three different sizes. For each album page glue three of the pieces together to form again a complete circle, use chalk ink or distress ink on the circle edge. Since it is a boy album instead of ribbon I tied some cotton twine.
I used glimmer mist on the punch shapes to add more color. If your photos have a white border then they are ready, mine did not have the border, and I did not want to waste time cutting pieces of matting paper, so I decided to paint an uneven border using Gesso, white acrylic paint will also do the job.
For me the album cover is always the most important part; I like to see it as an introduction to what you’ll find inside. Even though this cover was very fast to make I really like the final results, and I only used 4 types of embellishments: a Rub-On, Ribbon+Cotton Twine, Chipboard piece and different Alphas for the title.
And here are some of the finished pages.
I hope this tutorial was helpful, I’ll post these instructions to the scrappy community Mini Book Group here: http://thescrappytree.ning.com/group/dianasmonthlyminialbumtutorial for future reference. You can also upload pictures of your albums there, I would really love to see what you make.
~Also, it is my pleasure to announce The Winner of the Create A Heart for Hope Challenge~
In the name of my Scrappy Tree colleagues I would like to thank all of you that participated in our Challenge, the winner of our fantastic giveaway is………….
Erica Hofstetter
Congrats!! Please email us your address so we can send you the amazing Graphic 45 prize.
Good morning Everyone! As always, on the second Monday of the month, I will provide you with an image as a jumping off point for you to create anything you'd like (atc, inchie, card, altered item, scrapbook page, etc.). This month's image comes from the House of Tourquise blog.
What a fun room!! So much there to inspire!! Here's what I did with it:
I loved the colors from the room and the scalloped plates on the shelves inspired me as well!
Supplies used:
The Paper Studio cardstocks
EK Success border punch
Hero Arts stamp
Prima flower (I used a red ink pad to color a white flower)
I was so blown away by Sandy's Creative flare and talent the first time she was here, I couldn't wait to ask her back! Luckily she agreed, so today she is here to share what she has been working on for Valentines Day. Sandy is beyond talented and just joined the Best Creation Design Team, so she is sure to bring her A game!
Make sure to stop by her blog and see her Amazing projects, it's so worth it!
Thank you Kristin for inviting me back to guest on The Scrappy Tree. I shared my Christmas projects the last time and today I'm thrilled to share my Valentine ones. If any design catches your eye, do drop by my blog where I have step-by-step tutorials for them. I also have Sandy's Challenge #2 going on and an invitiation for you to link up one your 2010 favourite projects.
Always Love
A clean-and-simple style card is called for when the recipient is someone elegant and chic. All I used on this project is one paper with a barely-there design and some pretty beads.
Love your Smile
Not to disappoint anyone expecting some cute and fun projects, I present Love your Smile. It is a flip-top gift box.
Valentine Sweetness
(front and back views)
And what can be more perfect for someone sweet than a lollipop for Valentine ? Although I used a non-traditional green and fawn colour palette for the holder, it turned out just 'sweet' enough.
Matching card
Wising everyone a veryHappy Valentine's Day.
Thanks for stopping by Sandy and sharing your Gorgeous projects, you are welcome anytime!
We were thrilled when Susan agreed to stop by and be our guest. Not only is she a busy Mom, she have loads of talent you can admire in many places, like Scrapbook trends magazines, Paper Crafts, Home, Memory Makers, Creating Keepsakes, Paper Creations and many more. She has also been a part of or currently is on several design teams, make sure to visit her lovely blog after to see more. She was kind enough to share a little about herself in our Q&A below:
Tell us a little about yourself:I like to have fun.I have to say that is what attracted me most to my husband.We always laugh together.I have a sarcastic sense of humor.Sometimes I feel really sorry for my friends because I am so rough on them, but they haven’t complained yet.To me that is most important thing in my life is to laugh.We are teaching our son this.You just can’t take things to seriously, especially when you goof up.Life is just too short.
What is your scrappy history or experience:I started sort of late.I was going to scrap that “baby album”, but never got around to it until he was three.I used to do interior design, and it just got to be too difficult carrying a child around.That is when I found Scrapbook.com.I joined and wow, I jumped in full force.I did the challenges and made tons of friends first year.I started in March 2007, and by June of 2008 I had already made three manufacture teams.The one that got my name out there was Graphic 45.I left after their last call, but I owe so much to those ladies.They gave me a chance when I was just beginning.That is why I tell anyone who really has a dream of being on a manufacturer team and you have the talent, you don’t always have to start big.Go for those little start up companies.You never know where they will take you.
What is your scrappy specialty:Hmmm… I would have to say this would be “trying to stay different”.I really try to keep my style varying.I love anything from shabby chic to clean straight lines, and I am always trying to do it all.I like to keep it where no one can really pin-point a layout and say it is mine.
It keeps it interesting that way.
Current projects you are excited about: I just finish participating in CHA.I’ll be working with some great new product and that is always exciting.I have a couple of guest spots coming up, but that is about it.It is actually nice to be able to take a little breather.
Where can we see your projects: (Blog, Sb.com gallery link, Facebook, etc.)
Do you have scrappy vices or funny rituals: (A must have drink or maybe you have a family pet that provides moral support) Well,quite often I have my cat, Yankee, at my feet.After a day of scrapping, you can see him walking around with scraps of paper, glitter, alphabets… in his fluffy fur.He wears it with pride.
Do you have a day job:Other than free-loading off my husband?Well, I am a mom, a wife, cook, sometime cleaner (don’t like that part), pet sitter, chauffeur, scrapper…. Ok, you get it.
Funny talent or trait:The only thing I lay claim to is that I can really make good animal sounds.I don’t know what this says about me, lol.Oh!I did sing to my husband at our wedding.Everyone cried.I still don’t know if that is a good thing.My hubby says he was crying because I was squeezing his hands so tightly.
Do you have any other interests besides being Scrappy:This would be my Kindle.I love reading!I often tease my hubby telling him that if we had a fire, I would save my baby first, then the pets, then my Kindle and finally him.Yep, he should have never bought me that thing!
What are you favorite top 5 blogs:I am not really a blog hopper, so I don’t really have a favorite blog.I will sometimes go to a certain blog and check out who they follow.I have found some great artists and interesting blogs that way!
What websites do you frequent:Mostly TwoPeas and Scrapbook.com.I love looking at the galleries for constant inspiration.
What Scrappy magazines are your favorite:Can I love them all?Anything scrappy is inspiration for me!
Your favorite place to go within five miles any direction of your home:Hee,heethe Starbuck drive thru and Hobby Lobby.Both of these are “bad”. There is no telling how much money I have tied up in both places!
Where do you find the most peace:I love curling up (cat in lap – dog at foot) in my hubby recliner with my kindle when the house is nice and quiet.You know – no sports, cartoons or computer games in the background.Aww, there is a reason they say “silence is golden”.
Message from Susan:Thank you so much for having me guest.I am so honored because I love that your main goal is support charities.We spend so much time living our own lives that we hardly think about those little lives that seem to be forgotten.Thank you for caring.
Not only did she answer all of our probing questions, she also created this gorgeous Layout for us! It fits in perfectly with our charity challenge this month!
We want to say a special thanks to Susan for agreeing to stop by and be our guest. We appreciate her taking time out of her super busy schedule. Don't forget to visit her blog to see more; http://www.scrappysusandupre.com/
First off, thanks again for playing along, we had a blast reading all of your funny and thoughtful responses. We also loved learning a bit more about each of you and we hope to repeat this again soon :) Using Random.org, the following folks are winning some swag. If you won an item, please email us at thescrappytree@hotmail.com with your name, address and please use an email address we can contact you through, just in case :)
here we go!
Bag #1- Troylet Bag #2- Charisma3103 Bag #3- Toni Bag #4- Humel
Bag #5- Heather Bag #6- Tracy Bag #7- Joanna Bag #8- Lori Bag #9- Joyce Bag #10- Erica Bag #11-Pigott Clan Bag #12- Maria
Follow your interests and study hard! Learn, learn, learn....
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