Summer Camp Spotlight--Week 4

We can't believe Summer Camp is over already. The last four weeks passed so quickly! The top producer for the final week of Summer Camp was Lisa Dolezal. Shall we get to know her a bit better?

What is your name on the Coffeehouse Forum? Scrappin5150

What was your first CS kit? Gramma's Attic 2002

What are your top three favorite Club Scrap kits? Cape Cod, Tuscany, Road Trip

What is the best thing you learned from Club Scrap so far? ALSB! I tend to place more photos in my layouts than the designs call for, though, so I use some of the negative spaces or journaling places to add more photos.

What is your favorite kit goodie? Greetings to Go! I love that everything comes pre-cut, with sentiments, fibers and envelopes. I also like the small little tools that come in some of the kits that I wouldn't normally buy. For example . . . the white pencil picker-upper.

What motivates you to scrap? I love photography and scrapping helps me display my photos. I love it when family and friends come over and go straight for the scrapbook to see what's new. Some even check to see if they've made it in there!

Select 2-3 of your favorite pages/cards from Summer Camp 2014. Tell us why they are they your favorites.

"A Great Big Life" Card 

This card is a favorite because of the dramatic colors. I made homemade white glimmer mist (learned at the 2012 Retreat). Using it made me fall back in love with my stencils!

         

"Adventure is Worthwhile" Card

On this card I got to use TWO border strips from Safari. As you can tell, I really like dark backgrounds with white. Plus, the feather adds a softness to it.

"So Beautiful" Digital Layout

This was my favorite layout of Summer Camp. I love using my photos as the background. I played around with texture and a Bon Appetit overlay.

I had such a blast this Summer Camp. I challenged myself to use up ALL of my miscellaneous border strips, tags and cutaparts. 

Thank you for featuring me. I'm truly honored and blessed to be part of this wonderful group!

Congratulations, Lisa!

Summer Camp Spotlight--Week 3

Summer Camp is well under way, and we are at Week 3 out of four. The top producer for Week 3 was Cathy Gray, so let's get to know her a bit better!

What is your name on the Coffeehouse Forum Chat? My forum name is cathyjgray.

Which Club Scrap kit was your first? February of 2004

What are your top 3 favorite Club Scrap kits? That's a really tough question! I have different favorites for different reasons. For example, I have favorites I like to use a lot to make tones of creations, like the "blurple" paper from Steppin’ Out, but I also have "don't touch" favorites because I want to treasure the paper forever, like English Garden and Natural Wonders. In general, I guess I'd pick Orient Express, Up, Up and Away and Take Wing.

Best thing you learned from CS so far? The monthly theme has many interpretations, and each month the kit is even better than I thought it would be. The designs and artwork even are more amazing in person, whether in paper or digital.

Favorite kit goodie? Do stamps count? I love the artwork and wonderful sayings!

What motivates you to scrap? I love working with the great designs on the Club Scrap papers and themed kits; it inspires me to make many things.

Select 2-3 of your favorite pages/cards from this week's challenge. Why are these your favorites? I really enjoy mixed media, especially working with stencils, ink sprays and paints. It's so fun not knowing what creation will present itself, so Week Three Summer Camp's “Messy Challenge" was perfect for me. Club Scrap paper provides the perfect first layer. The brilliant colors, textures and images make a great mixed media base, even though it's sometimes hard to cover up the wonderful paper!

For these cards I ended up using five 12 x 12 papers: An Ivory Plain (from my stash), two Navajo prints and two Bon Appetit prints. Using my stencils, I got at least two images from each imprint--one by adding medium through the stencil onto the paper, and a second reverse image by pressing paper onto the "messy" stencil. The pink Bon Appetit card below was one of my favorites because the light script you see in the background was already on the paper.

To get the impressions you see on my cards, lightly mist the stencil with water, then apply ivory and blue acrylic paint (Navajo) or pink and white ink sprays (Bon Appetit) layered onto Geometric stencils. 

To create card panels from these decorated papers, cut each 12 x 12 at 4 and 8". Rotate each 4 x 12" horizontally and trim at 5.25 and 10.5". Trim coordinating 8.5 x 11 card stock in half horizontally to make A2 card bases (cut at 5.5"). 

I was able to create 30 "messy" cards from these panels combined with left over Greetings to Go die cuts and stamps from various past kits. Washi tape is a good layering trick for mixed media projects, too, because it allows colors from underneath to subtly show through. The “What will happen if I spray over this stencil and use this paper?” experience was so much fun!

Congratulations, Cathy!

Summer Camp Spotlight--Week 2 (Part 2)

It's a summer of firsts! This year is our first-ever member run PSL Summer Camp, and for the first time, we have a tie for most submissions in a single week. Yesterday we featured Becky Huber, and today we have the spotlight on Arlene Plastine who tied with Becky for top producer in Week 2.

What is your name on the Club Scrap chat forum? Arlene P   

What was the first CS kit you received? My first Club Scrap kit was County Fair in July 2004.

What are your top three favorite Club Scrap kits? My 3 top favorite kits are Paisley, Hydrangeas and Oopsie Daisy.

What is the best thing you learned from Club Scrap so far? ALSB!

What is your favorite kit goodie? My favorite kit goodie is the Embellishment Pack. It helps so much when ALSB-ing a kit.

What motivates you to scrap? The pictures I have to work with from when my children were first born motivate me to scrap.

Select 2-3 of your favorite pages/cards from this week. Why are these your favorites? There were far too many that I liked to limit it to 3. There were so many creative pieces that I liked.

Congratulations, Arlene!

Summer Camp Spotlight--Week 2

It's a summer of firsts! This year is our first-ever member run PSL Summer Camp, and for the first time, we have a tie for most submissions in a single week. Today we are featuring Becky Huber; watch tomorrow's blog post for her co-top producer for Week 2 of Camp.

What is your name on the Club Scrap chat forum? Skraphappy    

What was the first CS kit you received? Spice of Life in 1999. I took a break after 2004 and came back in 2013.

What are your top three favorite Club Scrap kits? Moody Blues, Trees, Raku

What is the best thing you learned from Club Scrap so far? It has to be ALSB!  I have never completed so many pages so quickly.

What is your favorite kit goodie? It's a toss up between stencils and embossing folders.

What motivates you to scrap? The boxes full of photos I have in my closet. I love the feeling I get when I get a few pages completed. Also, I'm using up my stash of Club Scrap papers and that means I can buy more and not feel guilty.

Select 2-3 of your favorite pages/cards from this week. Why are these your favorites?

My daughter was a competitive swimmer for 18 years. Completing her swimming pages brings back all the wonderful memories of traveling with her and watching her grow into the woman she is today. 

I love the cards from the Oopsie Daisy Greetings to Go kit. They just make me smile and I know they will make someone else smile when I send them.

Congratulations, Becky! 

Be sure to join us here on the blog tomorrow for another Summer Camp Spotlight!

Summer Camp Spotlight--Week 1

This summer we are having our very first-ever member-run Summer Camp. Four weeks of challenges to inspire forum members to create and finish cards, pages and other projects. The response has been wonderful. 

The top producer for Week One was member, Rhonda Vlahos. Rhonda is from Leeming, Western Australia, and we thought it would be fun for everyone to get to know her a bit better!

Retreat photos on Time of Your Life collection.

What is your name on the forum? My forum name is the same as my name: rhonda vlahos.

What was your first CS kit? My first kit was Bistro (July 2007).

Lock & Key paper bag book.

What are your top 3 favorite kits? Trees, Bistro and Avant Garde.

What is the best thing you learned from CS so far? The best thing I learned is no waste (or minimal waste) scrapbooking. I also like making awesome projects from scratch the digital tutorials are great, too. I could go on and on! 

Field Journal project with photos of Rhonda's trips to America.

What is your favorite kit goodie? My favorite kit goodie would have to be the stencils. 

What motivates you to scrap? My motivation to scrap are the photos I take, I want to preserve them for future generations.

Congratulations, Rhonda! 

National Scrapbooking Month--May 2014 Challenge 2

Did you know each year the first Saturday in May is (inter)National Scrapbooking Day? And since a day isn't enough, May is also National Scrapbooking Month! Let's continue the celebration . . . 

In Challenge 1 you were asked to follow instructions to create your own Passport to Fun project. Thank you for your participation!

This is your next challenge: Find a Club Scrap Creates blog entry that has inspired you, and use it to create your own artwork. Over the years our contributing bloggers have shared projects, techniques, card formulas and more. We all have that post that left us thinking, "I can't wait to try that someday." Someday has arrived!

Once your artwork is completed, photograph and share it using the Linky Tool below. Add a comment in the "Comments" section sharing the link from the Club Scrap Creates Blog that inspired your artwork and your "Linky" number. You'll have two weeks share what you've created for a chance at some really cool prizes. 

Julie has provided a sample in Linky #1 and what should be included in the comments field below.

Since we are such social creatures, it wouldn't be the same without a place to chat! Julie has set up a thread at the Coffeehouse Forum. It's the perfect place to brainstorm ideas, ask questions and wax poetic about your Club Scrap Creates inspired artwork.

This NSD challenge starts today at 10am Central. Post your finished artwork using the Linky Tool through Friday, May 30 at 11:55pm Central. Julie will announce the giveaway winner(s) in a blog post on Saturday May 31. Have fun, and good luck!

An InLinkz Link-up

Creatively yours,
Karen

National Scrapbooking Month--May 2014

Did you know each year the first Saturday in May is (inter)National Scrapbooking Day? Well, we here at Club Scrap decided we needed more than just one day to celebrate, so why not all month?

There was such a great response to my Hydrangeas blog hop project we thought it would be fun to create a challenge around it. We've "unlocked" the previously private links to the instructions and video tutorial for the Passport to Fun (Retreat 2012) project so I can share it with you!

The "original" Retreat 2012 Passport to Fun mini album.

So here's the challenge: Create your own Passport to Fun mini scrapbook using the instructions available HERE as a guide. You can alter the size, color, style or number of envelopes (keeping in mind it should be an "odd" number to accordion-fold correctly). Use your choice of Club Scrap papers and embellishments to decorate your book, and finish it with your favorite photos. If you own this Retreat project, but haven't finished it yet, then now's your chance to pull that baby out and get 'er done! (Mother's Day gift, anyone?)

Once your project is completed, photograph and share it using the Linky Tool below. Add a comment in the "Comments" section below, sharing a brief description about your book and which number "Linky" you are. You'll have two weeks to make and share your project for a chance at some really cool prizes.

And since we are all such social creatures, it wouldn't be the same without a place to chat, right? Julie has set up a chat thread over at the Coffeehouse Forum for just such an occasion. It's the perfect place to brainstorm ideas, ask questions and wax poetic about your Passport to Fun-inspired mini albums.

This NSD challenge starts today at 10am Central. Post your finished project using the Linky Tool through Friday, May 16 at 11:55pm Central. Julie will announce the giveaway winner(s) in her blog post on Monday, May 19. Have fun and good luck!

An InLinkz Link-up

Creatively yours,
Karen

New Inky Technique Challenge Wrap Up and Winner!!

Good Monday Morning everyone!!

First of all thanks so much to everyone who joined us for this fun challenge!

If anyone missed out, you can look back to Karen's original post HERE.

We were amazed at all the gorgeous artwork that was contributed. Here is just a sampling.

Julie



And now without further ado, Karen is joining me today to announce the winner!!

********************************************************************

Karen here...happy Monday! Julie and I were thrilled at the number of crafters who gave this new technique a try. Everyone's work was awesome!

Using random.org, we randomly selected a winner from among the sixteen submissions. The winner is entry #12, Ann...congrats Ann!

Ann's prize is a set of three Club Scrap Hybrid Re-inkers to play with.

I'm already looking forward to the next Linky Challenge, I hope you are, too!

Creatively yours,
Karen

New Inky Technique and a Challenge!

I love trying new techniques. I rarely have time to do so, but I do love it. While Skype-chatting with my pal Julie the other day, she sent me a link for a crafty technique featuring the humble baby wipe. I had to give it a try.

Baby Wipe Technique

My "baby" is twelve years old, so we don't normally keep baby wipes around the house. I do keep them on hand for crafting though . . . mostly for clean up. I have to admit, this is the first time I've used a wipe as a "tool" or "medium".

I have to warn you . . . you WILL get messy. You need to be "okay" with having multi-colored fingertips after trying this technique. Thankfully, I'm totally okay with inky fingers because it's evidence of "play" time!

Gather your supplies: You'll need baby wipes (of course), some re-inkers (3-4 colors that coordinate nicely), and white or light-colored cardstock. I found cardstock with a nice smooth finish is best for this; too much texture and the ink gets "muddied", which, by the way, is NOT the look you're going for, as it can be very unattractive. Grab some stamps, too. Solid stamps, rather than "outline" stamps, are needed to really showcase the awesomeness of this technique.

Fold a single baby wipe in fourths, or if you're using larger stamps, layer 3 or 4 baby wipes together. I highly recommend placing the wipe(s) on a non-porous surface for easier cleanup. (Yep, that came from experience, folks.)

Squeeze a small amount of each color re-inker onto the wipe. I used four colors: Amethyst, Leaf, Moss, and Sapphire, and let the colors just touch each other. Essentially, you're creating your own custom ink pad, that happens to be disposable, too.

Stamping:
Press a solid stamp image onto the wipe, inking it thoroughly. Stamp image onto paper. Repeat as desired.

Create backgrounds:
Use a second crumpled up baby wipe to gently lift color from the original inked wipe. Sweep color across a cardstock panel to create a striated look.

Or, to create a mottled background (very Monet-looking), gently tap the crumpled wipe onto cardstock in a random fashion.

Once I started, I couldn't stop. I made a few more cards using this very cool technique. The sentiments are inked with the CS India Ink pad, as you want something waterproof when stamping over the ink/baby wipe combo.

Amethyst, Leaf, Moss, Sapphire

Amethyst, Moss, Topaz

Amethyst, Leaf, Moss, Sapphire

Ruby, Topaz, Earth

Hybrid Re-inkers

Take Wing Greeting UM

Hopes UM Borders & Backgrounds

Hopes Greeting UM

Tribal Greeting UM

India Ink Pad

InLinkz.com

Now for the "Challenge" part: Julie and I challenge YOU to give this technique a try. Take a pic of your creation(s), and use the linky tool below to share it here on the blog.  **CONTENT EDITED** On Monday, October 28th, Julie will randomly choose one lucky participant, and announce the winner on her Monday blog post. (Quickie tutorial on how to use InLinkz. If linking from the Club Scrap Community Galleria, please use the browser window link thanks!!)

An InLinkz Link-up

I can't wait to see your creations!

Creatively yours,
Karen

Handmade cards for those sad days.

It's nice to make cards for happy occasions like weddings, new babies, and birthdays. But today I need a card for a dear friend who just lost her dad. It makes me sad to think about what she's going through.

Cathy Gray had requested the sympathy quote featured on the Lock & Key Greeting UM sheet, and I was so thankful to have it ready. Sympathy cards are always nice to have on hand, even if you don't really want to have a need for them.

I measured the size of the quote and customized a card formula to accommodate it perfectly. You'll need four sheets of 8.5x11 paper. I used the Lock & Key Teal, Cream, Tan and Light Brown.

1. Trim each 8.5x11 horizontally at 5.5". Score and fold one 5.5x8.5 piece of each color to form four card bases.
2. Cut one 5.5x8.5 horizontally at 4". Trim the 4x5.5 horizontally at 5.25".
3. Trim the 4.5x5.5 horizontally at 4.25 and 2.25". 
4. Cut the 2.25x4.5 horizontally at 3".
5. Trim the 2x4.5 horizontally at 2.75".

If you've never done this before . . . the hard work is behind you. Next, sort the cards into piles according to size.

Then, build the cards by sorting them into piles that include a piece of each size, alternating colors as shown.

All that's left is the creative part! Stamp the 2x2.75" panels with the UM quote from the greeting sheet, and finish up the rest of the card with coordinating Lock & Key stamps and embellishments.

I hope you give the formula a try. I'm sure there are many quotes and images that would fit perfectly onto the panels.

An InLinkz Link-up

Hugs,

Tricia