STAMP CLUB - JANUARY 2014

RING OUT THE OLD - BRING IN THE NEW!

Stamp Club will begin again soon.  And as CTMH is retiring some of their stamps and embellishments at the end of January, I thought this would be a good way to say good-bye to them.  In addition, we have a few items available to us that will be released in the new Idea Book,

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you will be able to make cards that can be used as Valentines, or you can make them more versatile.  Take a look at these options on the Stamp Club page of this blog.

Dates for Stamp Club in January are listed here.  All groups meet at 9:30 in my home craft studio in Prescott Valley.

Saturday, January 4

Tuesday, January 7

Thursday, January 9

Monday, January 13

Email me at scrappingailaz@gmail.com to register or if you have questions.

JUST US GIRLS #221 - Photo Inspiration Challenge

 

Time to ring in 2014!  This bracket frame can be changed out for many times of the year, but this is the design for right now - celebrating the approaching new year. 

I love the look of the chalkboard images, so part of the "board" is stamped and the "Celebrate" was cut on the Cricut and inked to give the shadow.  The clock (which is what was the inspiration from the challenge at Just Us Girls) can be changed out, as well as the banner.  See how it works for a birthday below.

 

Products used (all CTMH):

Cricut cartridges Artbooking and Artiste

Chipboard Bracket Frame

Cranberry Baker's Twine
Black brad (retired)
Swirls Around stamp set (D1551)

White pigment ink and embossing powder

Colonial White Rosette Ribbon

Papers

Surf's Up and Laughing Lola Background paper

Black, Buttercup, Honey, Sky, Sweet Leaf, Cranberry, Pacifica, Chocolate and White Daisy cardstock

Check out the Just Us Girls blog to see other projects inspired by the New Year's photo.

Thanks for dropping by.

CAS(E) this Sketch #58

Valentine's Day is approaching, so time to get some cards ready.  Last year I got a cute set from Lawn Fawn with a glasses theme.  Loved the phrases, but the glasses images were rather small.  I recently found a die for glasses from Taylored Expressions, and the two go great together. 

A simple design was good, and the one at CAS(E) this sketch this week was perfect.  Check out their blog for other cards using this design.

This card will also be one of the options during the January Stamp Clubs.  Check out the Stamp Club page of this blog for more details.

Products used:
Background paper - Typeset (CTMH, retired)
Cardstock - Sorbet (CTMH) and black glossy (my stash)
Sentiment - Clear to See (Lawn Fawn)
Die - Spectacles (Taylored Expressions)

Thanks for taking a look!

PALS PAPER ARTS #185

 

I've been working on the cards for January's classes.  We will be using the emboss-resist technique with several retiring CTMH stamps.  The Pals Paper Arts sketch this week was perfect for these cards.  The heat embossing of the images is complemented by the embossing folder designs.   You'll notice that I did two cards with this sketch - giving some options for those participating in the class. 

The stamps used that are retiring are:

Quick Cards - Butterfly (A1120)

Quick Cards - Bumble Bee (A1135)

Several new CTMH stamp sets were used on the strip behind each image:

Love This (B1432) - the swirl behind the butterfly

Reel Life (B1431) - the honeycomb behind the bee 

Pop over to the Pals Paper Arts blog to see other cards created with this sketch.  And check out the Stamp Club page of this blog for more details about the class.

Thanks for stopping by.

DECEMBER 2013 STAMP CLUB

The last Stamp Club of 2013 is just around the corner - and these are the projects we will be making.  More information will be posted to the Stamp Club page soon. 

Classes will meet on the following dates:

Tuesday, December 3 (class is full)

Monday, December 9

Friday, December 13

Saturday, December 14 (class is full)

Email me if interested - scrappingailaz@gmail.com

RETROSKETCHES CHALLENGE #91

A friend was recently named the editor of our small town newspaper.  I knew right away what stamp I would use for her card.  This is a VERY old set, but just perfect for the occasion.  I was practicing to get the "congratulations" centered just right in the opening on the front page, and happened to have 3 images done.  So when I found the retrosketches challenge sketch for this week, I thought, why not?  Let's use them all!

Congratulations, Cheryl, on your promotion.  Best of luck in the new position.

Materials used:
Stamps -
Photo Album Fun, Way to Go & Itty Bitty Backgrounds (all retired long ago) - Stampin' Up
Papers and inks -
Colonial White, Twilight and Cranberry cardstock - CTMH
Surf's Up background paper - CTMH
Honey, Cranberry and Black inks - CTMH
Black and Cranberry embossing powders (retired) - CTMH

Check out the other great cards made with this sketch at the retrosketch Challenge Blog.

Thanks for taking a look!

TIMELESS TUESDAY #247 - WINTER SCENES

December's Stamp Club will be all about winter - so the Timeless Tuesday Challenge was perfect.  I bought this snow globe stamp at the stamp convention in Phoenix last spring, and knew I would use it this winter.  The scene inside the globe is from Heartfelt Creations, and the entire globe is covered with a micro-fine glitter.  You feel like you've shaken the globe and all the little snowflakes are falling!  The background paper is from my stash.  We will be making this card in Stamp Club - and there will be a variety of winter scenes to put in your globe.

Materials used:
Stamps -
Snow Globe - Stamp A Mania
Snowy Window Scene - Heartfelt Creations
Holiday Tags and Perfect Fit Holidays - CTMH
Papers and Inks -
Slate & Daisy White cardstock - CTMH
Background paper - The Christmas Combo , DCWV
Twilight & Black ink - CTMH
Other -
Crystal Glitter Ritz Transparent Micro Fine Glitter - In the Making Enterprises

Pop over to the Timeless Tuesday Challenge Blog to see other great winter scenes.

Thanks for stopping by!

STAMP CLUB - NOVEMBER 2013

These are the cards we are making - and below is the fun little 

gingerbread house made from a milk carton cut out of kraft cardstock on the Cricut!

Head on over to the Stamping Club page for more details of each of these projects!

FAB FRIDAY 29

Fab Friday is another new challenge I found - and when I saw the sketch this week, I knew it would be perfect for this large greeting from the Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go (CTMH G1063).  Some bright pear cardstock with cranberry ink and cardstock and red shimmer trim, and a touch of topiary green ink on the One-Way Borders stamp (CTMH C1561).

This card is part of the afternoon Christmas Card Workshop - you can see all of the cards for both sessions if you click on the Project Workshops tab on this blog.  I also suggest you head over to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog and take a look at the other great cards created with this sketch.

I appreciate you coming by my blog and seeing what I've been up to!

FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES #109

This greeting from the Sparkle & Shine Scrapbooking Workshop on the Go from CTMH is pretty big - so this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week was perfect.  I used some background paper from my stash - I think I got it on clearance at JoAnns about 4 years ago - and of course added bling!  It had to be "bright"!

This card is another one in the afternoon Christmas card workshop I am doing - head on over to the Project Workshops page of this blog to see all of thoem in one place.  Be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge Blog and see the other creations for all occasions with this sketch.

Glad you stopped by!

MOJO MONDAY #316

It's been a while since I've used a current Mojo Monday sketch - but was glad that the wreath worked perfectly in the circle location!  You'll notice that I rotated the sketch.

The wreath is from the special "Season's Tweetings" Gift Bag Kit in the CTMH Holiday Gift Guide.  The greeting is from the CTMH Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go stamp set and the background paper is retired CTMH "Mistletoe".

This is one of the cards we will be making in the upcoming afternoon Christmas card workshop.  All of cards for that workshop can be seen on the Project Workshops page of this blog.  Be sure to stop by the Mojo Monday Challenge Blog and see the other creations for all occasions with this sketch.

Thanks for taking a look at my project!

CHRISTMAS CARD WORKSHOP - PART 2

ALL of the cards for the Christmas Card Workshop are DONE!  Creating 17 cards in less than a week is quite the challenge - but thankfully I had help from a variety of online challenges and their sketches and other crafters who had created wonderful cards. 

These are the cards that we will make in the afternoon - and if you want more than one of any of the cards, you can do that. 

Dates for the workshops are 

Wednesday, October 30 (almost full)

Saturday, November 16

Detailed photos of all the cards can be found on the Project Workshops page of this blog, so head on over there to find out all the information about this workshop.

SEIZE THE SKETCH #6

Another sketch from Seize the Sketch that caught my eye.  I haven't inked up this Happy Holidays stamp for a while (from December 25th by CTMH with a coordinating cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge).  Some old DCWV background paper for the banner, and green paper from my stash.  What a difference embossing that plain paper makes!  I love the clean and simple look, but adding the embossing just seems to finish it off.

This card will be included in the Christmas card Part 2 workshop - you can see all the cards when they are finished on the Project Workshops page of this blog.  Be sure to stop by the Seize the Sketch Challenge Blog and see the other creations for all occasions with this sketch.

Thanks for taking a look!

RETROSKETCHES #86

Time to work on the second part of the Christmas card workshop - and these are free-form cards - many different paper packs, stamp sets, anything that will use up the stash of paper in my craft room.  But that also makes them quite unique!

The first one is based on the RetroSketch #86 - you can see the sketch to the right.  I used the retired Believe paper, retired Christmas Love stamp set, wrapped some cranberry baker's twine around it (all from CTMH), cut some extra holly leaves with the Cricut and added bling from my stash.  I finally mixed the daisy white re-inker in the spray pen and tried it out - and I'm happy with the way it worked.  I'm going to use it on kraft cardstock for a project soon, so this let me experiment.

I'll be posting more of the cards as I finish them.  I'm trying a number of different challenges to get the inspiration.  Check out the other great cards with this sketch at the RetroSketch Challenge Blog.  And take a look at the Project Workshops page on this blog to see all the Christmas cards we will be making.

Thanks for stopping by!

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY CHALLENGE - Oh Christmas Tree

A new challenge for me, but perfect for this card.  Another one for the Christmas card workshop coming up using the Sparkle & Shine paper and dimensional complements.  However, I snuck a bit of the retired Typeset background paper in since the juniper green color was such a good match!  The card design is Sketch #26 from Vol 2 of CTMH's Make It From Your Heart book with a little bit of the ruby chevron ribbon.  There is so much design in the chipboard trees that there wasn't much need for any thing else to be added.

You can see all of the cards for the workshop if you go over to the Project Workshops page of this blog, or hop on over to the Papertake Weekly Challenge Blog to see other great Christmas tree cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

CHRISTMAS CARD WORKSHOP - PART 1

Whew!  I'm running a little behind because of all the family traveling I've been doing.  But we have visited both boys, seen my mom and sister, and now I'm ready to get down to business.  Which means it's time for the Christmas card workshops.  These are the ten cards we will do in the morning session.  I will have another set of cards for those who want/need more in the afternoon. 

Dates for the workshops are 

Wednesday, October 30 (almost full)

Saturday, November 16

Detailed photos of all the cards can be found on the Project Workshops page of this blog, so head on over there to find out all the information about this workshop.

Merry Monday Challenge #80

 

I've been watching the Merry Monday challenges since I am creating the cards for the Christmas card workshops.  Merry Monday focuses on Christmas all through the year.  And the challenge this week was to use music or a carol inspired theme. 

The first card workshop I am doing is using the new Sparkle & Shine paper pack from CTMH and the coordinating dimensional complements.  I love the colors in this paper pack, and even though the tag actually said "To" and "From", I found a holly stamp to covered them up!  The card design is sketch #28 from CTMH's Make It from Your Heart, Vol. 2. 

I'll be posting all of the cards for this upcoming workshop on the Project Workshop page, so check it out.  Also, hop on over to Merry Monday Challenge Blog and see what others have created this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

OCTOBER STAMP CLUB

 

We are transitioning from Autumn to Christmas this month in Stamp Club.  You will select one of the two cascading cards, make the three Christmas cards and the quick little gift tags made from this month's Stamp of the Month - Scandinavian Wishes.

More photos can be found by clicking here and heading over to the Stamp Club page!
Stamp Club will meet on these dates - pick the one that works best for you and let me know.

 Tuesday, October 1

Thursday, October 3

Saturday, October 5

Monday, October 7

SEIZE THE SKETCH #4

There's a new sketch challenge in town!  I thought this sketch would work well with the little "Santa's Greeting" (M1028).  I wanted to use the adhesive springs on this card - it's fun to watch the greeting bob around as you take the card out of the envelope!

I used the retired "Believe" paper for the background, and the CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge for all of the other cuts.

Those of you in Stamp Club will be making this card when we get together in October.

Click here to check out the other cards made with this sketch at Seize the Sketch!

Thanks for stopping by.

PAPER PLAYERS CHALLENGE #161 - FALLING FOR YOU

Fall is just around the corner.  Of course, here in Arizona, I don't see as many piles of leaves as I did as a child growing up in Nebraska.  So it was fun to create my own pile of leaves - and this one won't make me sneeze!

I recently hopped through a number of challenge blogs to find some that would help spark my creativity.  I found The Paper Players, and thought I would join their challenge this week with this fall-themed card.  It is a cascading card.  I had seen one a while back on Pinterest that looked like a basket of leaves, so thought I would go for that look.  Think it worked out pretty well.

This card will be a part of the projects the Stamp Club gals will make in October.  I wanted to use up a stash of 8.5 X 11 cardstock, so I re-configured the dimensions of the cascading card we had done last spring to make it work.  Always fun to put a twist on a previous project.

I love the lattice weave embossing folder from Cuttlebug.  I think it gives the "basket" a more realistic appearance.  I used the Cricut to cut all of the leaves (CTMH's Artiste and Artbooking cartridges), then ran each of them through various embossing folders and inked the edges.  The stamp sets are both new in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book from CTMH - Happy Autumn (D1550) and Perfect Fit - Thanksgiving (B1427).  The pull-out tag gives you room to add a message.

Check out all of the other Fall projects at The Paper Players.  I'm sure you'll be inspired.
Thanks for taking a look!

RETRO SKETCHES #79, SWEET STAMPIN' CHALLENGE, and PAPERTAKE WEEKLY CHALLENGE

  

The sketch at Retro Sketches this week was fun!  I reached into my stash of papers - most that I purchased two to three years ago on clearance - and then grabbed one of the new single stamps from CTMH - "Tree Delights" M1032 - to complete the project.  After adding every bit of bling to the tree that I could find in the "bling" stash, I found the phrase from an old CTMH Constant Campaign stamp set.  What a perfect way to finish the card off!

I'm also submitting this card to these other challenges:
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Spots and Stripes - I think the spots are pretty obvious, but the stripes are created by the strips of paper that I used!
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes with an optional extra to create a Christmas card!

Head on over to these two challenge blogs or to the Retro Sketches Challenge by clicking on their names.  You'll see great projects and get lots of inspiration!

And by the way all you Stamp Club ladies, we will be making this card in class in October!
Thanks for stopping by.

SEPTEMBER STAMP CLUB - IT FEELS LIKE FALL!

In September, we are going to be working with a variety of inks and try different techniques with them.  All of the techniques work well with a fall theme.  Hope you can join us.  I have added an additional class day because the number of people attending has increased.  I would rather keep the class sizes smaller and have time to work with everyone during the class.

Dates for the September Stamp Clubs are:

Tuesday, September 3

Monday, September 9

Thursday, September 12

Saturday, September 14

All classes meet at 9:30 a.m. in my home craft studio in Prescott Valley.  Classes run about 4 hours.

Head over to the Stamp Club Page of my blog for more photos and information.

ALLSORTS CHALLENGE - Week 221 - USE ACETATE

Several years ago I taught a scrapbooking class where we used acetate, Staz-On inks and alcohol inks to create interest.  I'm recreating that technique for September's Stamp Club, and this is the end result.  So when I found that Allsorts Challenge was using acetate this week, I decided to join in the fun.

The image is stamped with black Staz-On, then turned over and colored with a small paint brush using several different alcohol inks.  The base of the card is created with three different ink colors - creme brulee, sunset, and autumn terracotta (all CTMH) - applied in a circular motion using a sponge ink applicator.  I started with the lightest color and overlapped each successive color to create the "ombre" technique.  The acetate is applied with only the brads - since any adhesive would show through.

Pop on over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog and see other great projects with acetate.  Thanks for stopping by!

KABOODLE DOODLES CHALLENGE 186 - Season of Fall or Fall Colors

I went "surfing" for new challenge blogs today - and found several that I want to keep track of and try whenever I am able.  I just finished the cards for September's Stamp Club, and since Autumn is the theme, they fit perfectly with this challenge.  I have two cards that I am submitting.

The first one is done with alcohol inks and a pieced embossed image.  I used about 5 different alcohol inks on the pad with a copper metallic mixative.  I applied these to a piece of glossy white cardstock, then added the blending solution to the pad and went over the entire piece again to really blend the colors together.  The image is the September Stamp of the Month from CTMH - available only from Sept 1 - 30 - and for only $5 with a qualifying purchase!  I embossed the entire image in cranberry, then used various other colors to emboss different strips, cut them out and adhered them over the original.  I finished it off by cutting down and fraying some of the burlap ribbon.

The second card uses the fall colors, but I chose a phrase that could work as either sympathy or thinking of you, depending on the situation.

 The paper is the new Huntington paper pack from CTMH with Barn Red cardstock.  The stamp set is Happy Autumn (D1550 - CTMH).  I used a little of the bronze shimmer tape, as well as Barn Red, Champagne, Cashmere, Desert Sand, Creme Brulee and Autumn Terracotta inks.  The design of the card is Pattern #22 from the new Make It From Your Heart - Vol 2 by CTMH.

Head on over to Kaboodle Doodles Challenges and see what other fall creations have been submitted!  Thanks for taking a look.

FRESHLY MADE SKETCHES #100

 

In celebration of their 100th sketch, Freshly Made Sketches is using the very first sketch for their challenge blog from September 2011.  And I'm just making it under the wire to get this submitted!

This was my first time to work with the new Frosted paper pack from CTMH - and it was perfect for this project!  I also used the September Stamp of the Month, which will be available on September 1st.  If you make a qualifying purchase, you can get this 2-stamp set for only $5.

These are the products I used to create this card.  All are CTMH unless indicated:
X7175B - Frosted Paper Pack
1388 - Colonial White cardstock
X5666 - Twilight cardstock ( I inked the edges of it with Colonial White pigment ink - Z2168 - to match the Frosted Turquoise in the Frosted Paper Pack)
X5929 - Whisper cardstock
Z1829 - Black & Grey Glitter Paper
S1309 - Poster Tidings - September Stamp of the Month, only available Sept 1 - 30!
G1063 - Frosted Cardmaking Workshop on the Go - stamp set for inside greeting
Z2172 - Whisper ink pad
White embossing powder (retired)
Z134 - Prisma Glitter
Z1752 - Clear Sparkles
Martha Stewart snowflake punch

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out all of the other great cards made with this sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

FINAL PROJECT FOR AUGUST STAMP CLUB

Now you can see the final card we will make in August's Stamp Club.  This one is the design from the Laughing Lola Cardmaking Workshop, with one slight change.  More details about everything we will be doing in the August groups is found on the Stamping Club page.