Washi tape card in Create gallery

I am featured in the Cards magazine Create blog challenge gallery this week. I love doing these challenges. Who am I kidding, I love doing pretty much all challenges. However, I was stumped for a while on this washi tape challenge, then last night an idea just came to me!

I covered some cardstock in strips of washi tape and then die cut it to form the base of the label.

For the background, I embossed the cardstock, then swiped a versamark watermark ink pad over the embossing. I think next time I will try the clearsnap stylus because it was tough to apply from the larger ink pad.

Patterned paper, and rose brad(but I pulled the brad part off): American Crafts

Cardstock: Bazzill

Sticker: SRM

Ribbon: May Arts

Leaves: Prima

Pink paislee artisan tape

Embossing folder: sizzix

Christmas card stamping tutorial redux

I've been working on a set of holiday gift items - gift bag, SRM tube, small package, and tags - featuring some fun stamping techniques. I can't wait to share it with you! But in the mean time I thought it might be fun to pull up this Christmas card stamping class that I created last year. The embossing, glitter, glossy accents, crackly accents, flocking, coloring, and micro-bead techniques that I detailed in that class will come in handy when you see the tag and gift set that I created this year.

Here is just one of the images from the tutorial, showing how to use glossy accents and microbeads on this adorable gnome Santa's beard. I just love the effect, don't you? You can see the whole tutorial HERE. So, brush up on these techniques, because this weekend I will show you some 'off the card' ideas for them!

Scrapdango November Sugar Kit Reveal

The DT kit reveals are up at Scrapdango. You can see the rest of my reveal HERE. You can find the rest of the team members reveals along with other kit info HERE. And last but certainly not least, check out all the new challenges in the challenge forum.

For this page I used the MME paper and some Glitz from the kit along with some SRM stickers that I had in my stash, and the Bella Blvd alphas from the kit, to make a simple, but stunning page. I love how the glitter compliments the glow from the candles in the photo.

graphic 45 and clearsnap card

Today I posted on the scrapstreet blog about this card. If you want to read more about the techniques that I used on this card, check it out on the scrapstreet blog.I made this card using mostly Graphic 45 papers and clearsnap products - smooch spritz, cat eye inks, and design adhesives, for their respective challenges. This is also for the paper issues current issue - check it out HERE

Another Balance tutorial Layout that was Soup Spotted!

This is a page that I created for the ACOT balance tutorial - showing radial balance. I used Jillibean Soup Sweet and Sour soup (LOVE this collection) and it was featured on the Jillibean Soup blog today as part of soup spotting!

Quick Halloween Recap

Yes, Ive been doing more non scrappy posts lately - with Ellie's birthday and Halloween things have just been crazy busy! BUT I have been working on a few scrappy things, just can't share them yet. So, here is a quick halloween recap

Our street is usually pretty quiet. In the past it hasn't bothered me, she was little and I was happy to hit the few houses that give out candy on our street, talk to some neighbors and head home. But this year she was SO into Halloween that I wanted her to have a trick-or-treat experience similar to what I had as a kid - tons of candy, tons of houses, tons of kids.

Except, people just don't seem to into it anymore. We decided to head around the block and found that on the next street over, where the houses are closer together, it was more what I was looking for. She DID get a ton of candy. She takes her time though. She socializes, chooses her candy carefully, asks to pet dogs. So we ended up having to skip a lot of houses. and she was running from house to house and didnt want me to take her picture. So I only got a couple half decent ones.

Again, straight out of the camera.

Design Principles in Scrapbooking- Part 1 - Balance

For my reveal at A Cherry on Top this month, I decided to do something a little different. I researched the classic design principle of balance and applied it to scrapbook pages, including a sketch.

From the article:

"The purpose of balance is to create a visual display that is pleasing to the eye, so you may find that a lot of these concepts are things that you have noticed naturally already. It helps though, to know what the concepts are, so that when you are looking at an unfinished page and thinking, “something seems off; this needs something, but what?”, you can review the design concepts and they will help you figure out what is missing, or off."

Here is one of the pages that I created for this reveal - showing symmetrical balance.

Head over to A Cherry on Top and check out the rest of the article. These principles are good for all of us to keep in mind.