2 peas's finally friday challenge: buttons

happy monday crafters! i hope you had a great weekend
i made this card for two peas in a bucket's finally friday challenge. the challenge was to make a card using buttons.
REMINDER: my giveaway closes on January 31st, for more info click HERE!




supplies
cardstock-recollections
designer paper- k& co ancestry
tag- k& co julienne tag pad
border strip-k& co que sera sera
button- autumn leaves
embroidery floss-white
corner rounder-fiskars
adhesive-glue dots craf & tombow mono tape runner

thanks for watching!
vlog ya later.

michael's haul video plus a GIVEAWAY!

one of my scrap-resolutions for the year was to incorporate a monthly giveaway on my blog. this month's giveaway is really easy to win, simply subscribe to my youtube channel, and you're entered to win!

check out the video below, which is a haul video from my latest trip to michael's, and the giveaway items are shown at the end. 

thanks for watching

vlog ya later!

bee mine

i usually laugh at store decorations that seem to jump from one holiday to the next, but here i am, coming fresh of of christmas cards, and making valentines day cards, with no regard for the full month of january in between the two. oh well-at least i had fun making it LOL! :)

check out the video below on how i made this card, i'm really sorry because my camera ran out of memory or something the end of the video is cut off. but you really only miss seeing me add the two small butterfly's in the corner.



thanks for watching,
vlog ya later!

trendspotting: rosette flowers

last summer it was all about banners, they were on cards and layouts everywhere. the latest trend i've noticed: rosette flowers. you can buy them pre-made

american crafts has a cute set that's just perfect for valentines day. kristina werner's used these stickers in this weeks macm.

they're also fun and easy to make. plus when you make you own embellishment you can customize it so that it's perfect for your project.

i used a rosette flower on this valentines day card. i'll be posting a video tutorial soon showing how i made my rosette flower, and used it on another valentines day themed card.

there are some great tools that you can get to make creating a rosette flower easier. if you have a big shot, be sure to pick up tim holtz's die. check out his video on how to use it HERE.

if you don't have a big shot or the tim holtz die my tutorial will show you how to create it with your bone folder and your paper trimmer. 

hope everyone is having a crafty weekend!

blog ya later :)

my craft journey part 2

hello crafters! 

this is part 2 of my craft journey, giving tips on moving from scrapbooking to cardmaking to mini albums/altered projects. in this segment we'll cover cardmaking. for tips on getting started with scrpabooking, click here to read part 1

stepping into cardmaking can seem oddly familiar to a scrapbooker. you have all these tools and supplies, but you've got to look at them a little bit differently. and then you realize there are some tools you still need. the biggest difference for me personally-STAMPS. i didn't own a single stamp before i became a cardmaker.suddenly i was in love with this new hobby and purchasing stamps became a major part of my scrapbook shopping budget. to speak in scrap terms photos and journaling are to layouts what images and sentiments are to cards. 


so let's go over the tools that you'll want to add to your collection when shifting into cardmaking

tools
stamps

• sentiments: start with a generic "everyday or any occasion" stamp set, as well as birthday and thank you cards. then add seasonal sentiments

• images: should be personalized to your style of cardmaking. if you have a playful style find character images, if you have more of an elegant style find large flowers
• background: background stamps are usually sized to fit the full front of a standard sized card (5 1/2 x 4 1/4). 

 stamping surface

• a grid mat is great for measuring, but when stamping you need a surface you can easily wipe clean. i recommend ranger's kraft mat or inkadinado's stampin surface. 

inks

• begin with basic colors: black, brown, and then begin adding colors that you like. 

bone folder (you may already have, especially if you bought a tool kit!)
scoring board
embossing folders
dimensional adhesive
baby wipes

• an inexpensive way to clean your stamps!

heat tool
embossing powders

now for the cardmaking splurge! copic markers. they're alcohol based markers, that blend beautifully, and make your coloring look amazing.
(check out part 1 for my tips on how to pay for splurge items)

like with scrapbooking you're going to have cardmaking supplies (embellishments you're going to buy, use, and need to replenish, unlike most of your tools which you'll only need to buy once) 
there are so many different kinds of embellishments out there i'm going to touch on a few popular ones for cardmaking, but i'm sure i'm not going to get them all. (if you'd like to add something to the list leave it in the comments :)


supplies
glimmer mist
perfect pearls
gems
UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel)

brands i love

• hero arts
• ranger
• inkadinkado
• tim holtz
• tattered angels

now you've got all your supplies, it's time for a little inspiration, check out these blogs and youtube pages, and you'll be making beautiful cards in not time. 

blogs you'll love

• jennifer mcguire ink
• kwerner deisgn
• stampin a latte
• lucy's cards
• the daily marker

youtube channels

• starofmay
• splitcoaststampers
• NicholM15
• heroarts

thanks for reading along, in part 3 i'll we'll go into mini album's and altered projects!

youtube

lately i've been trying to. . .

come up with a name for my youtube videos. i've been thinking about this for the last three weeks, and today i think i finally found name that i like. . . drumroll please . . . 

scrappy girl studio or SGS for short. i think i like it. (i've changed my mind so many times already, i think i'm just going to make myself stop here)

so the plan is . . .

to pick a day, and i think it'll be thursdays, that i have my weekly scrappy girl studio video come out. so i'll get started today filming, and hopefully i can make a card that i like and get it posted by thursday (wish me luck :)

in case you're wondering. . .

i'm just getting back into the swing of things at work, now that the holidays are over, it's so much easier to have time to craft when you're not tired from work and driving through crowded LA traffic. but i think i can work a weekly video into my schedule, and i'll have Part 2 of my craft journey posted tomorrow- it's all about cardmaking!

until next time . . .

blog ya later :)

my craft journey part 1

happy new years scrappers!

my craft journey started with scrapbooking, then i delved into cardmaking, and now i'm getting into mini albums & altered projects. each craft comes with its own joys but transitioning from one to the next can have it's challenges. in this three part series i'm going to give you some tips on how to get started, the supplies you need, and some helpful inspiration. 

so let's start with scrapbooking

we're going to break our materials into 2 categories: tools & supplies

tools

cutting mat 12x12

paper trimmer

cardstock

  -get started by purchasing a pack of cardstock in assorted colors. make sure 

   you have neutrals like black, white and kraft

scissors

adhesive

  -tape runner adhesive, liquid glue, & glue dots for small embellishments
   like buttons or metal embellishments

craft knife/paper piercer

  -i recommend purchasing a tool kit like the one making memories sells, you'll 

   get a great range of tools all at once

punches

  -i recommend starting with circle punches, purchase in a range of sizes

   & get the scallop punches to complement them, then do the same with

     the square punches, then you can branch out into other shapes

   -border punches come in a lot of different patterns, start with a general 

    scallop that you like, it'll be versatile and you can use it on a lot of different

      pages, and then you can get seasonal punches as well.
crop-a-dile
corner chomper

these next tools i'm going to call splurges. they're a little pricier than the previous tools listed, but they're worth the investment. 

tips for purchasing pricier items-

• take advantage of holiday sales
• have your family members get you scrapbooking gift certificates for your birthday and use those to offset the cost
• get michael's newspaper coupons they often have coupons that allow you to take 40% off of your purchase
• and check out ebay. 

splurges

die cutting machine
    -like the cricut expression or silhouette. they allow you to cut out letters
     and images which can save you money on embellishments

now that we've covered tools lets move on to supplies. supplies are different from tools because these are the items that you're going to continue purchasing that will change often.

supplies
designer paper
   -this can be purchased individually or in collection packs. 
stickers
rub-ons
ribbon
flowers
die cuts
eyelets
snaps

brands that i love

• american crafts
• making memories
• basic grey
• cosmo cricket
• bobunny

now that you have all of your supplies it's time to get started. remember when you're scrapbooking that the primary focus is the photos and the journaling, everything else is just decoration. you're preserving your memories and there's no wrong way to do that!



inspiration

blogs you'll love-if you've got all your supplies and still aren't quite sure how to get started check out these blogs, you will be inspired!

• susan weinroth
• jen gallacher
• nichol magouirk

 youtube channels

• basicgrey -check out their basic inspiration classes!
• nicholM15 -Nicole Magouirk's youtube channel shows a range of amazing techniques that are sure to get your creative wheels turning
• aboverubiesstudio-this channel has a wide range of craft information that will help you in all craft styles, and they have great tips on using your cricut in your scrapbooking

so now that we have our starting point covered, in part 2 i'll tell you how to transition from being a scrapbooker to a cardmaker!