Tin Tiles Doorway Mini Album

Hello everyone, Debby here. I am so excited to be your guest blogger for today. I've been a member for three years now and I am constantly awestruck with the designs, quality products, and variety in every Club Scrap collection. Recently Club Scrap celebrated its 15 year anniversary by releasing the Tin Tiles Anniversary Collection.

Club Scrap Tin Tiles Collection

The imagery reminds me of ornate historic buildings and antique architecture. The collection comes with directions to make ten beautiful 12 x 12 scrapbook pages, however, I like to make mini albums, so I decided to make a doorway mini album inspired by one of the cutapart quotes. The doorway cover features the dry embossing folder included in the collection. The inside pages feature collection papers, cutaparts and tags decorated with the stencil included in the collection.

Tin Tiles Doorway Album Cover 

The doorway cover is made from chipboard with a cut out window and transom. I painted it with silver acrylic paint as a base for additional embellishment.

• The "tin" accents are foil sheets embossed with the Tin Tiles embossing folder, antiqued with Distress Paint.
• Punch Collection papers with the EK Success Scroll Pattern punch and add as accents.
• The window is an acetate sheet with an antiqued jewelry medallion adhered with Glossy Accents.
• The door knob is a Tim Holtz Ideology hitch post.
• Behind the transom is an acetate sheet dry embossed and antiqued with bronze Distress Paint.
• The door was finished with black marker lines and black inked edges.

Inside cover with the cutapart quote that inspired the project.

Internal pocket pages

The binding is a Stack the Deck Binding designed by Laura Denison. The pockets were made from ivory #10 envelopes cut on the diagonal and slit on the side.

• Each pocket is attached to the spine tab with Club Scrap Bookbinding Glue, and covered with Tin Tiles collection papers and Gold Foil Handmade paper from the Trees collection.
• Pockets are further decorated with Tin Tiles Cutaparts, papers, and left over embossed foil accents.
• Ribbon accents were added to the flaps and some of the pages.

Tags created as inserts for the pockets

The pocket tags are decorated with stencil techniques or papers and accented with ribbons from the collection.

• Dark blue tag: Emboss with Tin Tiles embossing folder and ink raised areas with Club Scrap white pigment ink. 
• Light blue tag: Stencil with watermark ink, emboss with clear EP then antique with Distress Ink
• Grey tag – Ink Tin Tiles stencil with Club Scrap white pigment ink.
• Manila tag: Reverse stencil image from grey tag (place over white inked stencil and rub the back to transfer). When dry, antique with Mahogany Distress Ink and rub with a damp cloth to reveal the reverse stencil image. 

I hope this gives you an idea of the possibilities with the Tin Tiles Anniversary Collection. It was so easy to make a delightfully coordinated project, adding just a few optional embellishment from my stash. To see more of my Club Scrap projects see my blog listed below.  

Thank you for reading and happy crafting!

Debby H

Blog: Masculine Inspirations in Paper & Craft

Using Digital Templates

Happy Thursday & Happy Halloween!

I noticed a thread in the Club Scrap Forums this week about digital templates, so I thought I would take a few moments to review how to use them.

I’m using template #2 from the Lock & Key Digital Kit, along with the Bookshelves Digital Kit.

1. Re-save the Template with a new name so you don’t accidentally alter the original template file. You can use the original template again and again with different collections.

2. Drag in a new background and delete the white background layer of the template.

Tip: Holding the Shift key while you drag in a new background will automatically keep it centered on your new layout.

3. Drag in another background, just above the first one.

4. Select a layer to replace with the new background. I've chosen to replace the three light-grey squares with the red digital background.

5. Ctrl+Click (Windows) or Command+Click (Mac) on the thumbnail of the layer in the Layer Palette; you’ll see ‘matching ants’ around the elements in the layer.

6. Click on the background layer (added in step three) to make it active.

7. Select -> Inverse (Shift+Ctrl+I in Windows, or ShiftCommand+I in Mac) and press the Delete key. You’ll remove all of the background except the selected elements.

8. Delete the template layer to reveal the new ‘paper layer.’

9. Repeat steps 3-8 for any ‘paper layers’ (mattes, etc.) you want to replace.

10. Use embellishments from the kit to replace the embellishment layers in the template. I've swapped out flowers and stems for the keys and different beads. This is your chance to get a little creative.

11. Add photos.

12. Add drop shadows and any other desired effects to finish your layout.

That’s it! You’ve recreated the layout with a different kit (or different papers and elements of the same kit). For variety, you can also rearrange the parts and pieces or rotate the layout at 90 or 180 degrees to create something entirely new.

The templates that come in each digital kit are made using the collection's Quick Drop Layouts. Here’s the same layout using the Lock & Key Digital Kit (and the same photos!):

I hope you’ll try using the templates that come in the digital kit. It’s a quick and easy way to create a layout without having to do any measuring or positioning.

See you next week!

-Ron

Digital Mix Up: Lock and Key and More!

Happy Thursday!

There’s been a lot of chatter about ‘mixing it up’ on the CS forums lately - CS Member Norma started a thread about it  (you can read that thread HERE) and Member Liaison, Julie Heyer began one that includes a challenge (check that one out HERE)!

So I figured I’d jump on that bandwagon and mix it up with This month’s Lock & Key Digital Kit.

First up, Lock & Key and Bookshelves - these 2 kits were made for each other! I pulled a few things from each digital kit and came up with this layout:

Next, I grabbed a few pieces of Random Doorways and mixed in some Lock & Key and got this:

Finally, I combined Lock & Key with the Basic Patterns Digital Overlays and created this digital card:

And there you have it - 3 quick and easy mix ups with Lock & Key! So the next time you’re wondering what you can do to punch up a layout or card, trying mixing it up a bit - the results can be amazing!

See you next week,

-Ron

What’s an Overlay?

One of the comments that I received on last week’s blog, was from Jen - she asked if I had ever explained how to use digital overlays. I hadn’t so that’s this week’s topic (and thanks, Jen, for giving me a blog post idea!!).

Overlays are ‘transparent’ PNG files that you can simply ‘lay over’ a digital background to give it a new/different look - they add some visual texture to your backgrounds. Overlays can be black & white, or full color - and you can use them in a couple of different ways. Let’s take a look…

 For my first example, I started with a fairly plain background from Club Scrap’s Cape Cod Digital kit:

And added a black & white overlay:

As simple as that you have a new background! Neat, huh? You can reduce the opacity if you want, or further change it up by adding a layer style like ‘Overlay’:

Or the ‘Divide’ layer style:

Different combinations/colors of overlays, backgrounds, and layer styles will produce different effects - don’t be afraid to try various combinations until you find something you like.

Okay, time for another example. this time with a color overlay from Club Scrap’s Bookshelves Digital kit. First, 3 I chose 3 different backgrounds:

And added the same overlay to each one (with 85% opacity):

To change it up a bit, I added the ‘Overlay’ layer style (and brought the overlay layer back to 100% opacity) - very different looks, but all quite cool:

So there you have it - a quick look at what you can do with overlays - alone and in conjunction with layer styles and opacity settings. But that’s just the beginning! Don’t be afraid to experiment (and remember, you can mix kits for even more varied looks!) and you’re sure to create something wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Ron

Bookshelves Pop-up Desk Gift Card Holder

Pat Huntoon here, as guest blogger for Club Scrap. Happy April Fools Day! Today I am happy to show you a fun project that uses the Bookshelves Club Scrap Kit to make this Pop-up Desk Gift Card Holder:

I love this project, and it's very easy - no fooling! The Gift Card Pop-Up Desk is one of the tutorials on the Technique Junkie Newsletter Move It CD which was released last week. You can see what is on that CD HERE, but the full tutorial for this gift card holder, in step by step format, is HERE so that you can make your own! I am going to use mine to put a gift card in for my son to get some books from our local bookstore.


Here is the front of the card:

One of the things I love about Club Scrap is the ability to combine the stamps with the embellishments and paper to get just the look I want.

If you are interested, I posted another Gift Card Holder using the same tutorial on my blog today that uses the Workbench Kit from 2005. If you are interested in seeing that, please take a minute to "pop" on over! Here's a sneak peek:

Hope you have a great day!
Pat Huntoon

MYOB (Make - or Modify - Your Own Background)

Happy Thursday; Ron here with another digital tutorial for 'ya!

Lets talk about backgrounds. Each month the Club Scrap Digital™ Kit comes with 10-12 ‘sheets’ of digital paper, or backgrounds. But sometimes you just wanna customize. Right?

There are lots of ways to manipulate the backgrounds to create new and varied looks for your scrapbook pages. Today let's cover four simple techniques.

1. Recolor
Open a background file, drag it onto your layout and than use the Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation command (Ctrl-U on a PC, Command-U on a Mac) to adjust the Hue, Saturation, and/or Lightness of the background to change the color.

Before

After

2. Overlays
Many of the monthly Digi Kits include overlay files. Simply drop an overlay onto a background and it instantly becomes new! You can also apply a layer style to change the look of the Overlay even more.

Before

After

3. Combine
Put one background on top of another, add a layer style and admire the beauty that you’ve created. Easy-Peasy!

Before

After

4. Combine, Part Deux
Layer two backgrounds and reduce the opacity of the top layer for yet another look!

Before

After

Bonus: Combine, one more time!
Mix 'n match two of the above techniques for even more variety. The sky's the limit!

So there you have it . . . 4 (or 5) easy ways to create variations in your backgrounds. Now go and create your own, and use them to make something wonderful!

Club Stamp Project Spoiler Alert!

Friday Greetings from Kay here at Club Scrap!

It's already the 15th, so that means Deb and the CS Crew are busy shipping the Club Scrap Lite Kit! On top of that, we need to get ready to ship the Club Stamp collection on the 20th. I'm tickled to show off the March Club Stamp Project--The Card Keeper! Once again, I'm a little early on this, but luckily I've gotten away with it before, so I think it'll be alright :) I'll have to be sure to bring Tricia a really good carb free snack tomorrow!

This is The Card Keeper. It's attractive, but also functional. Check out the wide spine with lots of room to store cards.

This will be handy on my desk for keeping greeting cards ready to go! The cards slide in and out of the elastic cords easily, and there are handy pockets for envelope and stamp storage.

Stamping on the cover was a must with this month's Bookshelves unmounted rubber stamps, along with the Borders & Backgrounds, Art Nouveau and Greeting sheets.

Funny story. When Tricia and I were photographing the step-outs for the project instructions, we had an "oops" moment. After the front cover was perfectly stamped, wrapped and nearly complete, she installed the inside pockets UPSIDE DOWN. I fixed it by adding the nested panel that you see below. So, a warning. Don't be like us, blabbing away as you make the project and messing it up on the last step!

Along with the March project, there will also be variations available including Textiles & Notions, Bon Appetit and paper-less! All of my inside pockets were installed correctly. Just saying. Won't they look nice on my bookshelf?

The Come Sail Away version below was made with the paper-less kit, so I just used goods from my stash.

For those of you that are Club Stamp members and receive the project - enjoy! Not a member? There's never been a better time to join us!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kay Williamson

CS Lite Bookshelves Spoiler Video

I wish there weren't so many carbs in popcorn. This ad really made me hungry for popcorn.

You see, I'd planned to feature this little project video right after the Club Scrap Lite kit shipped on the 15th. For some reason I thought that today would be after the 15th. But, duh, Tricia. It's the 12th! I live in the future. May brain is already well into April and creeping into May. In fact, I moved my clocks ahead weeks ago.

But now it's too late. Er, too early? Kay shot the video. I edited it. I'm going with it. I'm far too impatient to wait another week.

I have nobody but myself to blame for this spoiler. Kay Ann Williamson, you're in the clear. This time.

Those of you who are CS Lite (JR) members will be receiving this cute little quickie project in your shipment leaving the warehouse on Friday. It exercises one of my favorite a-MAZE-ing bookmaking tricks. Pun intended.

You can click here to watch the video. Or click on the embedded version below. Enjoy!

Wasn't that easy?
Tricia

P.S. If you're not a member of Club Scrap Lite, we'd really love to have you join us today. Give us a jingle if you have any questions! 888-634-9100 or info@clubscrap.com.

Welcoming The March Club Scrap Kit

It's March 1st, so I can't help but be excited about the new Bookshelves collection! The CS crew is busy shipping kits today, but I had the honor of creating a few things for the March Scrap Rap ahead of time.

Here are a few snapshots to give you an idea of what's on its way to you today. (That is, if you're a CS member.)

I think you're gonna love it as much as I do!

And just wait until you see Tricia's new ALSB pages (love 'em)!

It's March 1st, so technically this IS NOT a spoiler and I'm NOT spilling the beans too prematurely, right? Right! I have to admit, I'm pretty eager to show off this kit!

Last Week's Giveaway:
In last Friday's Club Stamp Kit blog, I offered a chance to win a free Feb Club Stamp Kit, and the randomly chosen winner is:

Sue DFebruary 26, 2013 at 8:40 PM

I'm sending a message to let her know in case she doesn't happen to catch it here - Congrats to Sue for being the lucky winner - enjoy!!

As always, thanks for stopping by. I love having the opportunity to share this exciting stuff with you!

Kay

A Bookshelves Digital Spoiler and and Important Digital Membership Update

Happy Thursday! Ron here!

Since Kay's been doing some major spoilers lately, I figured it was my turn. And since tomorrow is March 1st, all the folks working at CS today are gonna be really busy stuffing kits and such. I'm thinking no one will even notice if I post a layout I made with March's gorgeous Bookshelves digi kit!

After creating a few of the QDDLs (quick drop digital layouts) and matching templates for this kit, I grabbed a QDDL, added a photo, two bits of text and, tah-dah! A finished layout in about five minutes!

Pretty fabulous, huh?

I don't think I'll get away with sharing any more, but trust me when I say that the rest of this kit is just as cool. You might want to head over to the Club Scrap Digital store tomorrow and get this amazing collection! (And please pray that Tricia is too busy to see my post today!)

Speaking of our new digital store, we're making some changes to how our digital memberships are structured. After a lengthy team pow-wow, we came up with a format that is more comparable to what is offered in other "digital realms." This will make it easier for newcomers to understand what we're offering . . . and that's a good thing!

It is now possible for you to subscribe to three component options individually so that you only download what you actually use. Do you simply drop photos into the QDDL's (Quick Drop Digital Layouts, like my spoiler)? Now you can opt to just get the QDDLs! Same for the traditional digital collection and the templates.

Our new monthly membership pricing structure will be as follows:
Digital Kit: $5.50
Quick Drop Digital Layouts: $6.00
Templates: $6.00
Bundle (includes all three components at a 40% savings): $9.95

Yes, this means that there are four different digital membership options. I don't know about you, but I'm hearing that old Burger King jingle in my head, "have it your way, have it your way..."

While you're waiting for the beauty that is Bookshelves to arrive, go create something wonderful!