Fun in the Sand: Using Adhesive Sands for Textured Scrapbook Layouts

Posted on 05/16/2012 by creatingkeepsakes

Hello, everybody!

I’m thrilled to have the chance to share one of my favorites ways to add texture to scrapbook layouts! As a scrapbooker, I love playing with textures on my pages, and I have recently discovered a product that gives me a truly unique texture: adhesive sand (I personally use Mudd Puddles).

20120516 clarinet layout Fun in the Sand: Using Adhesive Sands for Textured Scrapbook Layouts

Concert Clarinet by Noreen Demas.

To create the textured “c” on this layout, for example, I used Black Diamonds Mudd Puddles.

20120516 c Fun in the Sand: Using Adhesive Sands for Textured Scrapbook Layouts

Are you ready to create this look for yourself?

Start with a chipboard negative of the letter or shape you want to create. Set this chipboard template on scrap paper.
Using an offset spatula (bent blade to keep your hands out of the gluey sand), spread the adhesive sand into the opening. Smooth it with the back of the spatula. Rinse the spatula to ensure the glue doesn’t set on the blade.
Lift the template up and set it aside (you can keep it for reuse or pitch it).
Leave the adhesive sand to dry (I found that an hour or two is enough).
Gently trim away the paper around the sand shape. It’s ready to put in place on your card or layout.

Adhesive sands come in lots of colors (some with glitter!), so it’s easy to play around with using them on different sorts of layouts. On the hockey layout below, for example, I used the Snow Mudd Puddles and free-formed the snow onto the corner of the zamboni picture to give my layout a touch of texture.

Last Game by Noreen Demas.

Thanks for reading, and have fun playing with adhesive sands on your own layouts!

—Noreen Demas, Scrap-N-Country

20120516 DND pic1 Fun in the Sand: Using Adhesive Sands for Textured Scrapbook Layouts

P.S. If you enjoy adding texture to your layouts, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy of Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks: Texture, a special issue from Creating Keepsakes magazine. Take a peek inside to see what we mean.

Posted in Guest Blogger, Technique | Tagged Creating Keepsakes magazine, Guest Blogger, Scrapbook, scrapbook pages, Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks: Texture, Technique, texture, two-page spread | 1 Comment

Weekly Warm-Up: Scrapbooking Your Faith

Posted on 05/14/2012 by creatingkeepsakes

We scrapbookers are fabulous at documenting all the events in our lives. We scrapbook birthdays, holidays, sporting events…we do annual round-ups and first days of school. We preserve our memories with gusto.

But there’s one side of our lives we often fail to scrapbook…our faith.

20120514 I believe Weekly Warm Up: Scrapbooking Your Faith What I Believe, by Courtney Walsh for Creating Keepsakes magazine.

No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, they are a part of you. And if you fail to document them, you leave behind an incomplete picture of your life’s journey.

It’s easy to get started with a documentation of your faith. Simply create a layout about what you believe. At the core of you, what do you believe to be true? If you’re not religious, consider scrapbooking your “aha” moments: your life’s motto, the words you live by, the quotes that speak to you.

For this layout, I wanted to capture my most basic beliefs. Years from now, I want my kids to know that these are most important to me. I don’t want them to think I always had it all figured out. I want them to have a clear picture of the ups and the downs as well the things that, in my mind, never change.

So, how do you get started in documenting your faith?

1. Choose your method. You can record your thoughts in an art journal, create a belief-themed scrapbook, or simply work your faith pages into your annual albums. Whatever you decide is fine—there’s no right or wrong.

2. Jot down a few of the key things you want to capture about your faith. Here are five ideas to get you started:

I believe… You could make a whole book about this, and it may change as time goes on. Capture it all…even the days you doubt or arent’ sure what you believe!
A person/people whose faith I admire. Who has helped you in matters of faith? Who inspires or challenges you?
Prayers and meditations. Why not create a prayer journal to keep a record of the things you’re exercising your faith for? You can also capture your meditations on wise words from favorite scriptures or quotes.
Lessons I’ve learned. It’s great to capture your “aha” moments, the ones that help you define what you really believe.
Blessings. Take a page out of Oprah’s handbook and capture the things you’re grateful for. It’ll shift your focus and help you see what really matters.

There’s little that’s more important about us than who we are on the inside. Use your paper crafting talents to bring the inside of you to the outside. It’ll be therapeutic and will serve future generations well.

For more ideas about scrapbooking your faith ideas, feel free to visit my blog, where I post weekly prompts and inspiration pieces.

—Courtney Walsh

Posted in General Inspiration, Guest Blogger, weekly warm up | Tagged CK, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, Guest Blogger, Scrapbook, scrapbook layouts, scrapbook pages, weekly warm up | 3 Comments

A Very Happy Mother’s Day (Card)

Posted on 05/13/2012 by creatingkeepsakes

Happy Mother’s Day! I’m Nicole Larkin, Creating Keepsakes’ online editor, and today I want to share with you the (IMHO stunning, gorgeous, amazing, wonderful) Mother’s Day card I made based on a free class taught in Club CK.

Happy Mother’s Day Card by Nicole Larkin for Creating Keepsakes magazine.

You can create a card like this by using scrapbook stuff from your stash, and you can adapt it to any occasion just by changing the sentiment and embellishments. I never would have dreamed of making this card on my own, but the “Mother’s Day Card” class made it easy-peasy.

First off, let’s talk for just a sec about Club CK, the Creating Keepsakes online community. This is where scrapbookers gather to share tips, ideas, and challenges, and where Creating Keepsakes provides blog articles, classes, challenges, and lots and lots of prizes. Did you know that membership is completely free? All you have to do is enter a username, password, and email address. (Oh, and a time zone. I know, we’re very demanding.)

Okay, so now: about this “Mother’s Day Card” class. This was a free class taught in the Club CK forums by über-talented Dream Team member Kim Watson.

Pretty awesome, right? And here’s a picture of Kim’s card when it opens. Surprise! A tiny banner!

“Mother’s Day” card by Kim Watson.

So I bet you can guess what’s inside my card… Yep, a little bitty banner strung on baker’s twine. Oh, how I love it. I have to restrain myself from opening and shutting my card and yelling, “Surprise!” (the other editors might get kinda tired of that).

You should also check out the envelopes. Each of my three kids wrote a message to Grandma, and I slipped their notes into an envelope I cut from patterned paper, a vellum library card holder, and a clear plastic bag that used to hold a sheet of stickers. (I {heart} repurposing packaging, don’t you?) And on the back, I tucked a note from me into a tiny vellum envelope.

If you’d like to learn how to create a card like this, hop on over to Club CK Forums > Scraptivities > Club CK Classes & Chats. You’ll find three classes by Kim Watson—“Mother’s Day Card,” “Spring Flowers,” and “Love Tags”—as well as chats with CK Dream Team members and contributing writers. I hope that discovering these classes will make your Mother’s Day even happier!

—Nicole Larkin, online editor

P.S. If you create a card like this, post it to the Club CK idea galleries and then tell us in this forum thread. At 9:00 am (MDT) tomorrow, May 14, we’ll randomly select one participant to win a one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine!

Posted in General Inspiration, Holidays | Tagged banner, cards, CK, Club CK, Creating Keepsakes magazine, envelope, Happy Mother's Day, Hidden Journaling, Mother's Day card, Mother's Day gifts, N, Scrapbooking, techniques | 3 Comments

Scrapbooking Delight: Open Your Eyes to Today

Posted on 05/11/2012 by creatingkeepsakes

Scrapbooking often serves as a way to capture moments from the past, but it is also a wonderful way to remind ourselves to embrace now, to take pleasure in what is. It allows us revel in our feelings of joy and excitement, encapsulate them, and be able to use them to carry us through difficult moments.

How often do you take time to look at life around you and notice the here and now, rather than focusing on the future? In our fast-moving culture, we tend to get distracted from today and spend a lot of our energy on what’s next. But delight is often in the details…and almost always in the present moment.

Our Scrapbooking from the Inside Out design team created some beautiful layouts on the subject of delight using our most deliciously fun and colorful kit yet! Get ready to be inspired to find those small pleasures that truly make life worth living.

Using only words and design (no photos—love it!), design team coordinator Melissa Elsner reminds herself to live more in the now. The framed journaling spots serve as “Post-it” notes to herself, some held by clips. Brilliant!

Find Joy in the Now by Melissa Elsner for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

Jen Matott created a wonderful display of bubbly circles that exude delight and happiness. Her journaling speaks of the simple pleasures of a day when all seems right with the world. She surrounds herself with that “perfect day” feeling.

Everything’s Wonderful by Jen Matott for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

Recalling a moment with dear friends when laughter filled the air, Nicole Martel filled her layout with brightly colored spray that evokes letting loose and having fun! She clearly loved remembering that great time.

So Dear to My Heart by Nicole Martel for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

What could you do to remind yourself to live in the moment and in the now-–and how could you scrapbook it? Comment here and let us know, and you might win our newest kit, Delight. This bright, bold, colorful kit is ready, as is our free inspiration page, to help your creative heart and hands flow. Entries must be received by Monday, May 14, at 9:00 am (MDT). Sorry, we can only ship prizes to addresses in the United States.

And do come join us at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out and grab your kit and our free inspiration now…we would love to welcome you and join you on your journey. Come on by and explore your inner world!

–Rachel Kaufman, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email from us.

Melissa K.D.: Something that keeps me in the moment is taking time to “be a kid” with my kids! That kit would be perfect to scrap those moments too! Thanks for the chance!

Posted in General Inspiration, Guest Blogger | Tagged Creating Keepsakes magazine, Rachel Kaufman, Scrapbook, Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out | 44 Comments

The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Posted on 05/10/2012 by creatingkeepsakes

For those of us with a knack for paper crafting, it can be stressful when holidays hit. For instance, Mother’s Day is Sunday, and in order to feel like a good daughter, I need to create something for my mom using my own two hands. The problem? I’m not sure I have time.

Luckily for us scrapbookers, Webster’s Pages designer Stacey Michaud has created this adorable matchbook-style coupon book as a gift for her mother-in-law, She’s broken everything down into simple steps, so even the busiest scrapper can recreate it in a snap!

20120510 matchbookfull edited 1 The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers
Our Heart Coupon Book by Stacey Michaud for Webster’s Pages.

Create the Matchbook Cover

Step One: Cut a 9” x 3 1/2” piece from pretty patterned paper.

Step Two: Score at 1 1/2”, 5 1/2″, and 5 3/4” (this allows room for a bit of bulk in the album). Fold.

Step Three: Staple along the bottom 1 1/2” fold to give the top flap a place to tuck into (and hold the album’s future contents in).

20120510 matchbookstaple The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Create Cut-Out Window

Next, we’re going to create a cutout window to jazz up the cover.

Step Four: Punch or cut a circle 1 3/4” in diameter from the top flap of your matchbook album. Here, Stacey also created a frame for this cut-out by trimming a doily design from the new Girl Land patterned paper and adhering it to the outside of the matchbook window with liquid glue.

Create Introduction Card

Step Five: From a different patterned paper, trim a 3” x 3 1/4” piece to create the introduction card.

Step Six: Using a foam square for dimension, adhere a contrasting 2” circle near the top of the introduction card. Print or write a note to the gift recipient and adhere it to the bottom half of the card.

Step Seven: Embellish the circle center with twine and a punched heart.

20120510 side by side The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Create Coupon Cards

Step Eight: Trim 3” x 3” squares of double-sided patterned paper. To create her cards, Stacey used the new Webster’s Pages Favorite Things paper, choosing images that reminded her of her mother-in-law.

20120510 Favorite Things The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Step Nine: Print labels with coupon information. Adhere them to the back of each square.

20120510 coupons extra The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

20120510 coupontype The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Step Ten: Tuck your custom-made coupons inside your little matchbook and tie the album closed with a beautiful ribbon, like this lacy trim from Webster’s Pages.

20120510 matchbookside The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

And just like that, you have a meaningful, handmade gift to give that very special mom in your life.

Giveaway

The new Girl Land collection from Webster’s Pages starts shipping Monday, May 14. For a full reveal, head over to the Webster’s Pages blog, where we’ve got tons of girly inspiration and lots of fun going on all week long!

For a chance to win a collection kit of this new line, just leave a comment on this post and tell us: Are you creating something special for Mother’s Day this year? Entries must be received by 9:00 am (MDT) on Monday, May 14. Sorry, we can only ship prizes to addresses in the U.S.

20120510 GirlLand Collection 2 300x221 The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

—Courtney Walsh, Webster’s Pages

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email from us.

Jingle: I created something awhile ago and plan to give it to Mom!

Posted in Guest Blogger, Holidays, How-Tos | Tagged card, CK, coupon, Courtney Walsh, Creating Keepsakes magazine, gift, how-to, Mother's Day, Mother's Day gifts, Scrapbooking, Technique, tutorial, Webster's Pages | 60 Comments

Fun in the Sand: Using Adhesive Sands for Textured Scrapbook Layouts

Weekly Warm-Up: Scrapbooking Your Faith

A Very Happy Mother’s Day (Card)

Scrapbooking Delight: Open Your Eyes to Today

The Perfect Handmade Mother’s Day Gift in 10 Easy Steps for Busy Scrapbookers

Create the Matchbook Cover

Create Cut-Out Window

Create Introduction Card

Create Coupon Cards

Giveaway

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