More Purrrfect Projects

Rita has made us a lovely project for the Purrrfect Projects Challenge this week.

Our theme is congratulations and Rita has made this wonderful mini-book using a very sophisticated colour palette.







I love the use of layering and the different shapes. This album is all set for that important occasion!



Thanks for sharing it with us Rita!

You can check out this and other challenges on the forum. Don't forget, if you take part and upload to the forum and gallery, you're in with a chance for the monthly prize draw!

Happy scrapping!

Morag x

Purrrfect Projects - Congratulations!

We set a new project challenge every two weeks to get the ol' brain cells ticking over.

This time around, the prompt is Congratulations!

There are many occasions to celebrate such as graduation, weddings, anniversaries so there is plenty of scope to play.

The girls on the forum and I have been busy making some samples to inspire you.

Firstly Rachel has created a generic card which could be used on so many occasions:



Passing your driving test is such a big milestone, that Vee's card would be a great way to say congrats:



My DS is taking his first guitar exam in a couple of weeks time. I'm really hoping that he passes.



I've made a pennant and card to mark the occasion using Scrap Within Reach. The simple to make pennant was layered with the patterned paper scraps and chipboard letters.



The card features a rubber stamped image using watercolours. Notice the denim ribbon? Just some old jeans torn up!

I've also gone wild and decorated the inside of the card too.



Well there is loads more to do and see in the forum so why not come over and join in? We have a monthly prize draw for those people who take part in any of the challenges. One lucky person will win a $10 gift certificate!

So what are you waiting for? I can't wait to meet you at AllyScraps

Adding a little Sugar

You may have noticed that I have gone crazy with the glitter recently. I've have 'sugared' everything from brads to flowers. I thought I'd share this fun technique with you so you can add a little sugar to your life.

Supplies: I use a Snow Writer which is a thick white paste - this works better than glue as the texture and colour will give that extra bling to your project. Glitter - sparkly white works the best and is the most versatile.



Add the 'snow' to your flower using a stick (the coffee stirers work a treat!) I keep to the centre and don't be too neat - a little mess looks much more funky.



Add your glitter and allow to dry.



Don't forget to dip your big brad in the snow and glitter.



VOILA! Gorgeous blooms. You can layer and mix paper and silk blooms together for a great look.



I've had fun playing with papers from We R Memory Keepers this month. These gorgeous papers and flowers are just right for all sorts of occasions.



I hope you'll try this out for yourself. I can't wait to see the results!

Morag x

Whimsical Wall Hanging

I was browsing through a catalog last week, and these framed keys caught my eye. I thought that they would be perfect for my scrap room. Here's the description: Vintage keys and lock covers are presented on fabric and framed. 6" sq . composite wood frames have distressed black finish. Set of three. Price tag: $39.99

Wow, that's a hefty price tag! Then a thought struck me.... I could make these!

I went out to a discount store, and found three 4x6 frames. I looked high and low for black, but couldn't find any, so I decided to paint them. Cost per frame, 99 cents each!



If you like the natural wood color, you could skip this step. I took the backing and glass out, then lightly sanded the wood and gave the frames 2 coats of black satin paint.

Next step the keys. I'm all about saving money and using what is on hand. I had a pack of the Tim Holtz grunge board in my stash which has some vintage looking keys and locks. These would work nicely. If you don't have these, you could use wings or butterflies, or even just cut out an image from a die cut machine or by hand. (If you have actual vintage keys you could use those. Just don't put the glass back in the frame.)



To make the grungeboard look like old keys and locks, I first painted them black, then I hit the edges with a little brown to make them look old and dirty. The last thing I did was hit the outside edges with silver. I just used my finger to rub the paint into the crevices. I tried to put the silver on the key and the locks where they would have had the least bit of wear on them. Notice how around the actual key hole it's more black, I figured that's where the key would have hit into the key hole and made it worn and dirty there. It made for a more "realistic" looking key hole.

Next I just picked some pretty paper. The keys in the catalog used a plain white cloth as a background. I thought I'd jazz that up a bit. I chose to use the brand new line of Webster's Pages paper. The Ally Scraps store just got the new line in, and I love it!!

I used the Your Life Magical Wishes Collection Double Sided Paper Beauty, only 79 cents a sheet in the Ally Scraps store. Two of the frames I used the front side of the paper, and one I used the back of the paper. Gotta love double sided paper!! This paper is so gorgeous. I took my empty frame and placed it on the paper to see where I'd like to cut. Then I just cut out 3 pieces at 4x6. Next I just dabbed the edges with a bit of brown ink to give it a distressed look. I took my painted and distressed keys, and placed them on the paper using pop dots to give it some dimension.

Here are the finished frames.






I love how they turned out! Total cost was under $5! $3 for frames, 79¢ for paper, other items I had on hand like paint and keys were free. Wow, that's a savings of $34!

The next time you see something in a fancy boutique or in a catalog, why not get out your scrap supplies and make it instead!

Look for card inspiration in a layout sketch!

If you have a pile of paper scraps and are looking for a way to put them to use, how about making a few cards? And if you aren't typically a card-maker (or even if you are) and would like some inspiration to get you started, try looking at a layout sketch - they aren't just for pages anymore!

To show you what I mean, I'll take a closer look at the challenge I posted for our online crop over the weekend. You can check out the challenge thread here (and there is still time to get your challenge entry in for the crop!). My challenge was to make a set of 3 "matching" cards, with each card inspired by a layout sketch. You can either tie them together by using the same paper line, similar colors/themes, or a similar design. You can use 3 different sketches, or use one sketch and create multiple designs (by flipping, rotating, or using differents parts/elements of the sketch for each card).

Here are my cards, with each sketch that inspired the card. I coordinated my set by using the gorgeous We R Memory Keepers Grandma's Kitchen collection for all three.

First I used this sketch from January 30:


to inspire this "hi friend" card:


I used the top border design and the bottom circle elements from the sketch on my card.

Next I used this sketch from March 13:


to inspire this birthday card:


I used most of the sketch elements other than the photo and the journaling block.

Finally, I used this sketch from March 27:


to inspire this happy birthday card:


I used the same paper design including the bracket edge along the bottom (which I cut with my Pazzles), and incorporated the circle elements but made the larger circle a half-circle, which balanced better on the smaller project and provided a perfect place for the sentiment.

Now it's your turn! I can't wait to see how you let a layout sketch inspire your cardmaking!

- Debbie

We have a special guest for May... Jana Eubank!!

We are so fortunate to have Jana Eubank join us here at AllyScraps as our guest Design Team member for May. She such an inspirational scrapbooker and a really sweet lady, such a wonderful addition to our team for the month. She'll be joining us for our online crop tomorrow, hosting her very own hour with a scrappy challenge and fun game. Here's a little more about Jana, and here is one of her challenge layouts, love it!



I love scrapbooking! It is my one-and-only crafty hobby and my passion. I enjoy the creative outlet it gives me, but I also love taking the time to reflect on family memories and seeing my kids' eyes light up as they look through our family albums. I have been scrapbooking for about 12 years in one form or another. I mostly create pages, but I also enjoy creating the occasional card or altered project. My scrapbooking style is eclectic with clean lines, with a little shabbiness thrown in. If I'm not scrapbooking, I'm perusing interior design magazines, hanging out at scrapbook message boards and galleries, or celebrating life with my family. I'm hopelessly addicted to chocolate, Diet Coke and Peach Fresca. My favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes with lots of butter and salt & pepper. I love to listen to Pandora radio to help me get in a creative mood while I scrap. If you'd like to see more of my work stop by and visit me on my blog www.janaeubank.com. I am a stay-at-home mom to 3 daughters and 1 son and have been married to my best friend, Kevin, for 12 years. We live in Bountiful, Utah. I am so excited to be here at Ally Scraps this month! Thank you so much for having me!

On-line Crop, May 9th

Just a quick reminder.



The team and our special guest, Jana, have all been working on our games and challenges. We'll have loads of inspiration and prizes.

Why not come on over to the forum and say hello?

See you all soon!

April Design Team REVEAL!

Hi everyone! We're so lucky at AllyScraps to have a fabulous sketch designer as a part of our design team. Debbie Gaydos' sketches are so inspiring, and we decided to make our April Design Team reveal based on a 2 page sketch by Debbie. Here's her sketch and what we came up with.



Debbie Gaydos
This is one of my favorite layouts of Debbie's, and it's easy to see how it inspired such an amazing sketch! It's so fun and colorful, and I especially like the fun mulitcolored title. Debbie used papers from Studio 8's Dinosaur Land paper collection. Perfect for her themed pictures. Love your layout Debbie.



Dana DiGennaro
I also used Studio 8 paper for my take on the sketch. I used the Celebrate collection, perfect for my build-a-bear themed birthday page. I had fun using the banner cutouts for part of my title, and loved using the stickers popped up on my page for lots of dimension.



Morag Cutts
Morag's fun Disney page used papers from the Sassafrass Lass Bungle Jungle collection. Morag always amazes me with her hand cutting, and I also really like the fun, bright colors of this layout. She used a fun font for her title too, it's the Umbrella font thickers from American Crafts. Great job Morag.



Raechelle Bellus
Raechelle used such fun pictures on her layout, and I love how she fit so many pictures across the 2 page spread. Her layout features brand new Fancy Pants paper. The On a Whim paper paper collection really does a great job of enhancing the playful aspect of Rae's pictures. She also used a multicolored title and some fun hadcut details. Thanks for sharing Rae!



Christine Hertel
Chris used the My Little Shoe Box Who's There collection for her super birthday themed layout. Wow Chris, love the way you did your title, her letters are cut with her Silhoutte diecutting machine. Super cute. Love the patterned papers she chose too... awesome job Chris!



Thanks so much for taking a look this month. Hope you are inspired by Debbie's awesome sketch and by our layouts based on her sketch. I know the images are small on the blog, but if you click on the photos, you can take a look at a bigger version! Thanks and enjoy.

~ Dana

On-line Crop & Freebies!

Happy May Day!

Do you remember when this used to be a celebrated holiday? Flower baskets, and May Day poles, with ribbons? It was the best, and I miss it so Im celebrating it this year. Im sending flowers and ribbon with all orders recieved today through Sunday.

I have just added some great new products in the store. Three fabulous lines from Crate Paper



I just love the cute designs which are all double-sided of course.



There are die-cut papers and beautiful accessories too. Be sure to check them out here.






Summer Cool line from Imaginise is perfect for those warmer days ahead



Two truly beautiful releases from Webster's Pages are also double-sided with gorgeous patterns on the front and back.



While you are here be sure to check out We R Memory Keepers, Bella Blvd, Scrap Within Reach, Sassafras Lass, Fancy Pants Designs, Kaiser Craft, Jenni Bowlin, and so many others. See all the new products here

Remember shipping is still only $4.95 on all order shipped within the U.S.

Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day. Will you still be feeling SCRAPPY next week? Well, we will too! So, come on over to AllyScraps for our super fun and exciting crop on Saturday, May 9th from 2-8 EST.

We will be celebrating 5 years of AllyScraps and our love of all things scrapbook. There will be hourly scrapbook challenges, tons of games, BINGO and loads of prizes too. We hope that you will join us for lots of fun, a chance to meet some new scrappy friends and a whole lot of inspiration.

Have a great weekend.

Cathy