Something Sweet Challenge

My friend, and fellow crafty lady Amy is having a sweet challenge on her bog, and so SaunJune and I got together for some inky goodness at her place and made cards for Amy's challenge! It was nice to get my fingers inky and I love the Neon too. The color scheme certainly woke us up a bit. You can check out Amy's blog HERE and make a card to enter if you like. You have until tomorrow! And you can check out what Saundra made for the challenge HERE. Take a peek and leave them some bloggy love! Thanks!

Back in The Saddle Again...

I have been absent from almost all things paper related since around Christmas time 2011. I finally decided to turn in some of the (too) many hats that I wore at once, and reclaim some ME time. Time to be creative and to create and to just play with some of my neglected supplies and catch up with some of my crafty friends. So, I spent a MUCH needed afternoon locked away in the scrapbook room of my good friend, Carol and created a few (12) pages for my scrap books. I would like to share a couple of those with you here. Now Carol is constantly giving me grief over scrapping without photos. See, she starts all of her pages with her pictures first and she just can't see me creating a page, let alone a dozen pages without a single hard copy of a photo. Well, I do that most of the time I scrap. I do this for a couple reasons. The biggest being that I am a procrastinator and a total shutterbug, so I have thousands (literally) of photos from everyday life and outings with my family. I like to start most of my pages with an inspirational page I have seen online or in a magazine, or I love to use a page map, and I have even gotten Carol to delve into the wonderful world of Becky Fleck. So when I start a page or a project I usually have an idea of the event that that I want to scrap about, and once I figure out how many pictures I need for the layout or layouts, I can just go into my Flickr account and order the prints that way and not print images that I do not need at that time. I like this method of scrapping also because I often like to use a variety of image sizes on my layouts. I order about 100 prints at a time from Walgreen's online and have them shipped to me so I can get the nice matte finish they use, and I can usually get them for about 6 cents a photo or less if they have a 50 free prints deal going! I just got 55 prints from Walgreen's for Easter and paid 37 cents to pick them up in the store. Well worth it!

I saw a layout similar to this in a scrapbook trends magazine. I love the layout and the look, so I used some leftovers from an old kit I had in my stash and this is what I came up with. I n3eed to work on my journaling. I'm thinking of a things we did this Summer bulleted list. Might type up the journaling on some strips of paper and add those along the left side near the number column.

Here is a detail shot of the sun I cut out and the yellow border there, I ran that through my crimper to give it some texture. I love that corrugated look. I also broke out the Tim Holtz tiny attatcher. I love that thing! I use it as much as possible.

Here is a mini collage of stickers and border pieces. I even have a rubber button with a couple mini brads threaded through the button holes. I love the chunkiness this adds to the the page. I have been seeing these little clusters of patterned strips and embellishments in a lot of different projects online and in print recently.

Here is a peek at the detail at the bottom of the page. I have my areas for my pictures all mapped out and traced out with pencil. When my prints arrive in the mail, I can just trim down the pictures and glue them to my page. These pictures have some fuzziness to them. I used the still shot capture feature on my new video camera that I bough to use at Estella's gymnastics practices. I will probably upload improved images once I drag out my camera and get some daylight to get some better images. Who knows, I may even have my pictures added to my layout by then! Keep an eye out for an edit. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Swap-Bot ATC Swap "Wizard of Oz"

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This is a card I created for an ATC swap on swap-bot.com. I have recently rediscovered my love for these miniature pieces of art, and have signed up for quite a few swaps on the bot. I created another Oz themed card to send to my swap partner as an added goody. I hope she likes the cards as much as I liked making them!

New In Color Club Forming Now!!!

Hey Stampers!
It's time for FIVE New Stampin' Up! In Colors!
Stampin' Up! Has really outdone themselves with the 2011-2013 collection of 5 NEW In Colors-you will be delighted with all the creative possibilities these fabulous new hues give you!

Even their names are gorgeous!
-Calypso Coral
-Island Indigo
-Pool Party
-Lucky Limeade
-Wisteria Wonder

Don't they just take you away to some amazing places in your imagination? Here is one of my favorites-Lucky Limeade-in the NEW Ruffled Edge Grosgrain Ribbon. Simply gorgeous!

So, now that I have you drooling, want to know some details on my In Colors Clubs? Great!

Here's how it works:
Every month for the next 5 months(August through December)you will receive the following products in ONE of the 5 new In Colors. A different Color Collection each month until you have collected them all!

-In Color Ink Pad
-In Color Classic Ink Refill
-In Color 8 1/2x11" Cardstock (20 sheets)
-In Color 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon (10 yards)
-In Color Designer Series Paper (8 full sheets)
-In Color Stampin' Write Marker
-In Color Designer Printed Brads (8 Brads)

And ONCE during the 5 month club period, each club member will be able to choose an additional $25 in FREE product from ANY Current Stampin' Up! Catalog-including Hostess Stamp Sets!

Does this sound like a fun way to build your color collection?
I'm sure you are wondering just how much it will cost you each month. I mean, that is a ton of products each and every month! Seven different products every month for five months!
What if I told you it was only $38.00 each month?! Yes! Just $38.00 per month for five months for all of the products listed above, in EACH of the five new In Colors!

I also have a few extra goodies for my club members as well. Each club member will receive their own copy of the brand new Idea Book and Catalog-a $10 value-absolutely free as my gift to you!
Each club member will also receive a free full color tutorial for two projects using your New In Colors! Tutorials include photos and step by step instructions, just for you. Tutorials can be emailed to you in a Word Document so you can save to a file and print at your leisure, or you may arrange for a color printed copy to be delivered to you with your monthly club kit (local customers only).
And don't forget-once during your 5 month club commitment YOU will receive an additional $25 in FREE product of YOUR CHOICE from any current Stampin' Up! Catalog.

So...how do I join, you ask?
It's as easy as sending me an email at ravenrt@gmail.com and tell me that you want to be an In Color Clubber. I will group you up with 4 other Clubbers (5 total per club)and you will be randomly assigned your color of the month and the month in which you will receive your FREE $25 product bonus.

Each month you will forward your payment to me with either personal check, credit card or PayPal, no later than the 10th of each month. During the month in which you receive your additional $25 in product, I will need your selections at the time of payment. You may also order additional items with your club order at any time for an additional fee. If you are local to me, there will be no additional shipping fee. Non-local club members will need to pay shipping to the delivery address of their choice. Once you have been assigned a Club Group, you will receive a club group confirmation email from me, as well as my PayPal info if you choose to use that method of payment.

Clubs forming now will be closed August 5th. Do not wait! Contact me now, to be In Color!

Ravenrt@gmail.com

I just know you are going to love all of the NEW In Colors as much as I do, and I can not wait to get them in y our inky fingers so you can start creating!

Deadline to join is August 5th!

2page layout from kit

This two-page layout was created using a Scrapper's Edge "Get the Edge" monthly kit.  I paired up some of my Stampin' Up! card stock and punches on this layout too.

I have some really cute pictures of Estella from Easter that I want to print out and put on this layout.  Once I actually do that, I will edit and update this post with new pics.

 Here is a closer shot of the Left side page.  I added a bunch of extra bling that did not come in the kit.  I also used some Bermuda Bay card stock from Stampin' Up!

Detail shot of the fabulous butterfly embellishment that came in the kit.  I love the way these look on a page.  

Here is a detail shot of the Right hand page.  Another fun butterfly embellishment and lots more bling and sparkly buttons.

Here is a detail shot of the Stampin' Up! border punch I used and dressed up with even more bling.  A girl can never have too much sparkle, you know!

Stampin' Up! cards

"I recently attended a business meeting at my Upline's house to discuss business matters pertaining to my Stampin' Up! business.  I love these meetings because not only do we get to swap ideas and inspiration, but a couple of us usually have a card or project to share as well.

This card was designed by a fellow demonstrator.  The card stock colors used were Basic Black, Whisper White, and Cherry Cobbler and Glossy.  The Inks used were Black Staz-On and Cherry Cobbler.  The stamp sets are Circle Circus, and Curly Cute.  The fun buttons were created by brayering Cherry Cobbler ink onto glossy card stock.  That was then run through the Big Shot with the buttons galore embosslet. Then it was finished off with a Stampin' Up! adhesive pearl.

This is one of the cards that I made for the meeting.  I love the look of this faux quilting technique.  I even purchased the Square Lattice embossing folder from Stampin' Up!  for the sole purpose of creating quilted cards.  This card uses Old Olive and Very Vanilla card stock and Vintage Garden DSP.  I also used the Square Lattice embossing folder and the ribbon is also Old Olive.

Here is a second version of the card using the same supplies, as above, but I did some stamping on this one.  I used the Curly Cute stamp set with some Chocolate Chip ink.  In this card there was no spaces between the DSP squares.  I think I like this look a little better than the spaces.  It is easier to do, and has a much more finished look.

Now, this adorable card was not one that we made at our meeting.  It is one my Upline made for a graduate that she knows.  I just thought it was too cute not to share!  I just love the owl punch from Stampin' Up! b If you would like to purchase any of these supplies for your own creative works, and you do not have your own STampin' Up! Demonstrator, feel free to email me to place an order.

Vogue Layout

I have been trying to scrap some of my older photos that I had developed.  The photos on the layout below were taken on October 25th, 2009.  It was Estella's 4th Birthday, and I snapped these pictures when I was taking her to preschool.  She was such a little diva-even back then!  These are still some of her favorite poses whenever I break out the camera.

All of the patterned papers used on this layout are from the April "Get The Edge Kit" from my local scrapbooking store, Scrapper's Edge.  I added a few things to the kit because I was actually using the "leftovers"  after I made the two page layout example that comes with the kit.  I love these kits because there is so much value to them, and I always have enough goodies for five or six layouts as well as a handful of cards.

The teal colored cardstock I used for my journal strips and photo mat, is Stampin' Up! cardstock in Bermuda Bay.  It goes with the fun colors in he patterned papers, well.  The letters and number 4 I used are Thickers alphabet stickers, that are glittery white.  The large bling is from my stash I found at the dollar tree a couple months ago.

More awesome dollar tree bling.

 This is the sketch that I used for this layout.  I love looking at a sketch and deciding on the kind of layout I want to create with it.  Sometimes I am inspired by the patterned papers I have in mind to use.  I though this sketch called for some fun colors and patterns, and that is just what I had in my "leftovers".