My Blog Crush - Clear and Simple Stamps Spread the Love Challenge

Wow, this week has been a crafting world wind! I'm back with a truly different challenge entry. I hope you can check it out and take part. Click here for more info! Ok, here's the skinny... one of my fav stamp companies Clear and Simple Stamps is hosting the Spread the Love campaign in conjunction with Amber at Damask Love (where you can link your project). I was challenged to highlight a blog I love, explain why and create a project with one of the challenge color schemes (I chose the one below) all in ode to my blog crush.

One winner will be chosen as Clear and Simple Stamps' blog crush and will be invited to be a guest designer for the Collection 7 release (meaning lots of great product for free and lots of exposure!! I am so SO excited about that!) All participants get a virtual swag bag too. It's all good and all fun! I chose the bold springtime blooms color scheme and several Clear and Simple Stamps products for my project. And here it is! I tried some new techniques with stamping and coloring and using twine - things I don't usually do in ode to my crush!

Who's my blog crush??????? Drum roll please......

My blog crush is Thoughts of a Cardmaking Scrapbooker!!!!! Michele Kovack does it all - she crafts, published her work in craft magazines, serves on craft design teams, is a loving mom and wife, works and blogs about it all - daily! I love her ability to be open, honest, humble, inspiring and I admire her work ethic and her amazing crafts. She always adds a little something extra (lots of glitter, LOL) and knows her unique craft style. She is doing everything I hope to do some day. So, this project is dedicated to you Michele Kovack!!! I hope you like it.

Here's a closer look at my project. I think crafting is a therapy Michele and I share!

If you can take classes with Clear and Simple Stamps for Copic instruction. They are wonderful. I learned a lot (but didn't practice). Now that I am getting the courage to color and put my work out there here's my crafty tip of the day. When working with Copics (I am new at it) make several impressions on the same paper you are using to try out colors and to make notes. Not all inks work with Copics and some will work only after you heat set it. I learned the hard way. I stamped in black, 2 shades of brown and then gray before choosing.  If your collection is not that large or is not set up in trios for blending, you'll need the practice before moving to the final.

I discovered using the hybrid ink from Clear and Simple Stamps works best. I liked the look of stamping and coloring in shades of brown. After I colored the skin and hair completely, I went over everything with E00 and it made it look better. I felt the areas I wanted differentiated and those I wanted blended all came together. By mistake or not, it' a good tip that I discovered. Try it (on your scratch paper first).

Supplies:

• Pink bib card - The Paper Cut
• Purple cardstock and metallic orange cardstock - DCWV
• White cardstock - Bazzill Basics
• Orange, purple, pink twine: American crafts
• Flower embellishment - Jolee's Boutique
• Embossing Folder: Sewing- Sizzix run through the Cuttlebug
• Punch: Paper Shapers for Stampin' Up!
• Ink - Espresso Your Style - Clear and Simple Stamps
• Stamps: Crafting is my therapy from the Craft Room set, Carlie from Rag Doll Carlie:Hello set - Clear and Simple Stamps
• Copics - Skin: E33, E00, Clothes: G02, RV09, Hair E37, E29, E00

 

La-Vie 

 

 

Merry 1st Christmas Layout

MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

I designed this Christmas layout for a client this past week using Cricut carts - Quilted Christmas and Phrases. The cardstock was designed by Recollections (via Core'dinations). The  white "1st" are by thickers and the tree and gifts are by Jolee's. The jounraling spot was stamped with the Christmas Memories stamp by Hampton Art with green grass chalk ink.

I love the title cut from Phrases. It has 4 layers. I used a combination of American Crafts foil cardstock, DCWV and Bazzill. The red is from my stash. The Recollections/Core'dinations cardstock was sanded to reveal the design. I especially love the whitewashed cadstock that shows the candycanes. I though that cardstock would be wodnerful as photo mats.

I had some significant problems with dust from the sanding. It seemed that I could not rid myself of the dust no matter how much I brushed the layout. I did not enjoy getting dusty every time I touched it (even days later). If anyone has tips please type them in the comments section. Thanks!

The very best part of this layout is the Santa from Quilt Christmas. I went with a vintage santa with the fancy coat. Here's a closer look. American crafts foil cardstock in black and red give this santa his shimmer and shine.

 

 

 

Here's some other views....

 

La-Vie

First Christmas Layout

I created this layout for my a friend who is expecting a baby girl any day now. It's a part of his instant scrapbook for baby's first year (one of my best selling products here at CLDU!) I love DCWV Christmas cardstock because it's double sided and had the most amazing designs. It's hard to choose which side to use.

The alpha stickers are by Martha Stewart, the mats are American Crafts foil cardstock and the dimensional stickers are from my stash. All layouts are better with bling, so I had to add the ho ho ho.

Jolee's makes the Christmas tree and gifts. It's my very favorite accessory for any Christmas themed page. The pictures of my friend's baby girl will sparkle and shine on this layout!! What a wonderful Christmas gift!


La-Vie

Upscale Instant Scrapbook for Kara's baby girl

(pg 12 & 13 of 20)

This cute layout was the result of a class I took at the CKC valley forge this past summer called Think Ink. We learned how to use simple, unrelated elements to create cohesivness in the layout, how to carry elements across the layout in different ways and how to successfully incorporate different patterned papers in the same layout.

Once back at home, I added embellishments to fit the baby theme of my dear friend's instant scrapbook. Unlike the other layouts in the album, these two pages do not correspond in terms of content. The left page is about the baby's trip home from the hospital while the right hand page is about the nursery that awaits at home. With plenty of room to journal on this layout, it will be a treasured keepsake for the Walker family.

La-Vie

Instant scrapbook baby boy - Hester

This last page of the scrapbook is a space for writing a heartfelt letter about the baby's impact on the family. Starting with Bazzill cardstock, I layered DCWV border strip and the scallop square. with the addition of dimensional stickers, definition stickers and brads with alpha vellum stickers to complete the page. And with that...this scrapbook is complete.

La-Vie

instant scrapbook baby boy - Hester

In this 1st birthday layout I used provo craft alphabet themed paper and several jolee's dimensional stickers. I love adding definition stickers to my layouts, The polka dot mat is from SEI and the ribbon with the eyelets and other embellishments are from my stash.

I used Mosaic Moments grid paper to create this mosaic using my cuttlebug and one of the embossing folders from the birthday bash set. I really like how this came out. The layout can fit 2 to 3 pictures based on size to highlight the birthday boy.



La-Vie

Instant scrapbook baby boy - hester

Using Mosaic Moment grid paper I created this mosaic scrapbook page to capture the baby milestones that were not recorded on other scrapbook pages in this book. I printed the grass and stones paper from my Cricut Imagine Cartridge Snapshot - Nature. It looks better than the single sheet you can buy in the store and its much cheaper too.

The first row shows the first bath, rolling over, first tooth.

next is the first solid food, crawling and first steps.

La-Vie

Instant scrapbook baby boy - Hester

Who doesn't love baby's first Christmas? This 2-page layout brings across the whimsy and joy of the holiday season. DCWV has created beautiful double-sided card stock. It was really hard to decide which side to use and which to sacrifice. DCWV was used for the base pages and mats in this layout.

 A few Jolee's dimensional stickers were added to being across the Christmas theme. The DCWV cardstock was already fully adorned.

Ribbon tape creates a bridge betweent the mat and the base cardstock. My favorite embellishment is the bow and real jingle bell added to the tree top. When the page is shaken the bells ring.

La-Vie

instant scrapbook baby boy - hester

First Thanksgiving. The title says it all! While I suspect there are many layouts about Christmas in scrapbooks, I think there's not as many about Thanksgiving, an important holiday as well. I had to ad bling to this little boy's scrapbook (whether he approves or not!) because it just added that necessary amount of pizazz. I love my stampin around from Stampin' Up. It's a handle that holds jumbo round stamps so that I can roll out my design while the ink is constantly added. I tried my best to get it straight this time... I used orange ink from a third-party company. The cornucopia was cut from Cricut Cartridge Paper Doll dress up (I think...) The base and accent pages are Bazzill, the mat is DCWV adhesive mat stack Neutral.

My 6-year-old daughter Zora is really into art and into crafting. She assisted with this layout by hand coloring all of the fruit in the cornucopia. She used a variety of markers including Copics. It was her idea to add the glittery pumpkin as well. I think she will definitely be working for me soon... she wants to desgin some cards to sneak onto my vendor table to see if anyone would buy it. I just might give her that chance!

La-Vie

Instant Scrapbook Baby Boy - Pg 16 & 17

As continued from last time, here are the next pages of the scrapbook. The first Christmas is a treasure. Trimming the tree, sharing the love of Christ...there's nothing better! This simple 2-page layout aims to show the excitement of Christmas.

DCWV Christmas cardstock is the best on the market in my estimation. It's double sided, heavy weight and expertly embellished. To create mats I used another pattern from this stack and punched the corners with Martha Stewart String Lace corner punch.

Adding dimensional stickers from La Petites by Paper Studio and Jolee's Boutique by EK Success completed the look.

Three different DCWV patterns were used in this layout and they all coordinate. Pick up a stack for your holiday needs!

La-Vie