April sketch winner!!

Thank you to every person who submitted such beautiful projects for our April sketch contest!! Our winner this month is Donna Coughlin, a huge congrats to Donna!! Here is her wonderful layout, love that super cute banner.



Here is the sketch by our very own Debbie Gaydos!!



And, the prize from Basic Grey... a super cool collection pack. Enjoy it Donna. :)



Come check in on the blog again soon, as we have projects coming up soon from Melissa Phillips AND Betsy Veldman, can't wait. Have a great weekend! Dana

Glitz tag and card set.

Just received this beautiful card and tag set from Betsy Veldman in my inbox, and boy is it pretty! Take a look.




Instructions
Remember When card
1. Fold large post card diecut journaling card in half to form card base. Tie pink trim around card and knot. Trim ends and adhere yellow flower.
2. Adhere "Remember When" sticker with foam adhesive and embellish with Artisan Swirl.

"Beautiful" card
1. Fold pink frame journaling card in half to form card base. Adhere dated journaling card to front.
2. Knot flower ribbon around card. Trim ends. Adhere flower.
3. Affix tab sticker and "beautiful" sticker.

"Remember" tag
1. Trim bicycle journaling card from the Emma's Shoppe Accent Cuts paper. Adhere to diecut journaling card.
2. Affix Artisan flourish. Stamp "just for you" onto label sticker. Affix to tag.
3. Trim flower from patterned paper and tuck under label sticker. Embellish with buttons.
4. Punch hole in top of tag. Tie lace through hole and embellish with pin.

"Best Friends" tag
1. Affix girl sticker to journaling card. Adhere lace along bottom edge. Embellish with flourish sticker.
2. Punch hole in top of journaling card. Tie lace through hole. Adhere flower and embellish with stick pins.

"Love and Cherish" tag
1. Trim vintage postcard from Accent Cuts paper. Trim one edge with decorative scissors. Adhere to journaling card with foam adhesive.
2. Affix "love & cherish" stickers. Affix flourish.
3. Adhere "date" label, tucking under top edge of postcard. Adhere flower.
4. Punch hole in top of tag. Tie trim through hole and embellish with pin.



Supplies
Glitz Love Nest What Not tags
Maya Road Medallion flowers - yellow and pink
Crate Paper- Emma's Shoppe collection - Trims
Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe collection - label stickers
Pink Paislee - Artisan Elements Swirls
Maya Road - green leaf trinket pins
Glitz - Love nest Cardstock Stickers - Titles
Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe Accent Cuts
Other, "just for you" stamp, vintage buttons



Thanks so much Betsy, love this set of cards and tags! Check out Betsy's blog for even more beautiful projects. (Wait until you see the gorgeous cards on her blog.)

Oh, and by the way, we have received SO many beautiful layouts for our April sketch contest. It will take a while to sort through them all, so check back later this week for the winner and for and awesome 2 page bonus sketch! Have a great day. :) Dana

A big Ally Scraps welcome to Betsy Veldman!

I'm so pleased to introduce a brand new guest designer to the Ally Scraps family. Here she is, Betsy Veldman!



Betsy is a small town girl who loves to paper craft. She has a history of design education and has always had a job doing something creative. From home decor to floral designer, she is now happy to be home with her children, doing what she enjoys most -paper crafting. Patterned paper and stamps are her two biggest paper crafting loves. She is a Go-to Gal for Paper Crafts magazine and is on the Papertrey Ink design team. When she's not playing with her paper and stamps or teaching classes at her local scrapbook store, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. As a family they love to ride bikes, play at the park, go geocaching and eat out whenever possible (less time cooking - more time paper crafting!) Betsy and her family live in a small town in Northwest Iowa. Welcome Betsy, let's enjoy her first project!!



Instructions
1. Create a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" cardbase from cream cardstock. Trim a block of pink paper to fit card front. Sand edges, adhere and stitch.
2. Trim a 4 x 5" block of aqua script paper. Sand edges, adhere and stitch.
3. Adhere rose diecut. Embellish with Artisan flourish, sticker, lace, buttons and twine.



Supplies
Cosmo Cricket Upcycle Collection - 6" Mini Paper Pad (pink paper)
Glitz, Love Nest, Sky paper (aqua script)
Glitz, Love Nest, Whatnot diecuts (rose)
Pink Paislee Artisan Collection, Artisan Elements Swirls
Crate Paper, Emma's Shoppe, Trims
Glitz, Love Nest Cardstock Stickers ("bee yourself")
Other: cream cardstock for card base, twine, vintage buttons

Thanks so much Betsy, love your card! We can't wait to see what else you come up with this month. :) Hey, don't forget about the April sketch contest. Here is Debbie Gaydos' awesome sketch.



The lovely prize, an awesome Basic Grey collection pack.




Check out the sketch contest information and rules too, you can find them here. Hope you're working on your sketch contest layout. Enjoy your weekend. Dana

PS - Just realized that the date was incorrect on the original sketch contest post. The sketch contest ends on Sunday, April 24th at midnight Eastern time! Sorry for the confusion.

music from the heart

There are special photos in my life that mean a lot. This is one of those photos. My daughter was performing at the local art museum, and I caught this wonderful memory of her making music. I love her body language. She loves this photo too.



I used paper and embellishments from Echo Park's For the Record collection. What a perfect match!
stamp of approval (back)
fabric store
vintage linen
lace stripes (back)
borders
noteworthy
alpha stickers
element stickers
American Crafts Marquise thickers

While I was at it, I needed someplace to keep all of the memorabilia from the perfomrance, so I took the time to make and decorate a pocket page with the coordinating paper. That way, I can put the two pages together side by side, and have all of the memories together! :)



Thanks for taking a look. I'll be back later this week with a brand new AllyScraps guest designer, see you soon! Dana

Melissa Phillips is back at Ally Scraps!!

And, boy are we thrilled to have her. :) Her first project for April is this beautiful mini memories coater book. It's filled with sayings and beautiful flowers, but there is still room to add your own special touches and photos too. Melissa's projects are always sure to inspire you to make one of your own!




Instructions:
1. Paint each chipboard coaster with antique white acrylic paint, let dry, and sand lightly.
2. For the cover, adhere a Peek a Boo transparency to the backside, stitch around the edges and embellish the front with a rubon, cardstock sticker, and buttons, flowers, and pearl in the upper right corner.
3. For the first page, cut a block of paper to fit center of coaster and adhere in place. Adhere canvas petal and die cut What Not. Embellish with a rubon and cardstock sticker. Separate layers from the Posies, and layer individual petals with canvas and paper petals. Adhere to coaster.
4. The second page is a What Not die cut embellished with a Peek A Boo transparency, layered petals, and cardstock sticker.
5. Cut a block of paper to fit the center of the third page and adhere in place. Layer on a die cut What Not, Peek A Boo transparency, cardstock sticker, and layered petals once again.
6. For the fourth page, layer two die cut What Nots and embellish with a cardstock sticker, and layered petals.
7. Cut a block of paper to fit the center of the fifth page and adhere in place. Attach a cardstock sticker, rubons,and trim, and embellish with buttons at the top.
8. For the final page, attach a Peek A Book transparency to a die cut What Not. Embellish with large layered petals and rubons.
9. To finish, punch holes in the upper left corners of each page, thread together with scrunched seam binding, and tie in a double bow.







Supplies:
Square Scallop Frame - Chipboard Coasters by Maya Road
Mauve & Bright Pink Satin Posies by Maya Road
Scarlet Collection Rub ons by Glitz Designs
Love Nest Collection Cardstock Stickers by Glitz Designs
Scarlet Collection Peek A Boo by Glitz Designs
Love Nest Collection What Nots by Glitz Designs
Love Nest Collection Peek A Boo by Glitz Designs
Hello Luscious Embellishment Petals by Basic Grey
Modern Homemaker Flour Sack Paper by October Afternoon
Modern Homemaker Needle & Thread Paper by October Afternoon




Thanks so much Melissa, this is just beautiful! Check out Melissa's blog, she updates it often with more gorgeous projects that will certainly spark your creativity. Have a great sunny weekend! ~ Dana

April Sketch prize revealed!

Hey everyone, I promised you all that there would be a prize for our April Sketch contest... and here it is. It's from Basic Grey!!



It's a Basic Grey sample pack, withe products from all of their new lines! :) Hurray. So, get to work on your sketch, scroll down for all the info.

~ Dana

April sketch contest. :)

Time for the April Sketch Contest at Ally Scraps!! While I was away on my last scrapbooking trip, I realized I didn't have many sketches for 2 pictures that go in opposite directions. So... since I happen to know an awesome sketch artist personally, I put an e-mail out to Debbie Gaydos and told her just what I wanted. Lucky for me, she got right to work on an awesome one page sketch, with 2 photos. Wow, love it, hope you do too!!



Of course, there are a few rules for our sketch contest. Make a layout using Debbie's awesome sketch as inspiration. You can flip it, turn it, mirror image it... just use the sketch to inspire your layout. Finish your project and e-mail the image (less than 500 kb please)to us by Sunday, April 24th at midnight Eastern time. We will choose a winner soon after. Send your layout to allyscraps@gmail.com. Have fun and good luck!

Oh, and the prize you ask?? Well, I'm sure it will be a great one, just haven't figured it out yet. :) Will get back to you soon, with all the sketch prize news.

Have a great weekend! Dana