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

Gina Johnson - December Guest Design Team Member!!

We are so pleased to have Gina Johnson as one of our special guest designers at AllyScraps for the month of December! And, even more excited to post her really cool altoid tin mini album tutorial for you all to see! Thanks Gina, this is SO cute! Here's Gina project....

Altered Altoid Mini Album
I love making these for gifts for so many different reasons! They’re small and don’t take long, they’re easy to personalize for whoever you’re making it for and they can stand a lot of beating. That last fact is really important if you’re making it for a grandma or someone who is going to throw it in their purse and take it everywhere!
OK, to start off you’re going to need a piece of cardstock 10 5/8" x 3 ½", a Altoid tin, scraps of patterned paper, Modge Podge, and acrylic paint and embellishments (if desired.)
To start off I painted the top of my tin with white acrylic paint. If you don’t want to do this you can also just wrap a ribbon around the exposed edge after you're done with everything else. It’s ok if the top is streaky because you’re going to cover it anyway, I was mainly painting it to get the edge covered since it didn’t match my patterned paper.

To decorate the top of the tin I cut a piece of Imaginisce Fairest of Them All paper to 3 3/4" x 2 3/8" and glued it down. Don’t be too worried about gluing it well as we’re going to be sealing it with Modge Podge.

Next I inked the edges and then adhered the RollerRink Glitter Thickers. I ended up overlapping them because the name I wanted to use was too long otherwise. Because I overlapped the letters I knew I wanted a VERY thick coat of Modge Podge so that the letters would be secure no matter how roughly this was treated.

Now that your tin is done set it aside to dry and we can get started on the album. Once you have your cardstock cut, you’re going to score it at 2 1/8", 4 ¼", 6 3/8", and 8 ½".

After you’ve got it all scored, accordion fold it and use your bone folder or fingernail to make sure the creases are all crisp.

Your next step is to round the corners (that’s one Patti will love! ;)) I find it easiest to hold two pages together and round the corners that way.

That’s it! You’re ready to decorate your album as desired. I used more of the Imaginisce Fairest of Them All line for this little mini. I also used some Fancy Pants stamps from the Daily Grind line. Also, a little tip, to make this easier to remove from the tin, add a little ribbon to the bottom page and always tuck it up so its sticking out on the top when you put it in the tin, then you can just pull on it and the whole album comes out. And here’s my finished album. I made this for the mom of the little girl I babysit occasionally.

Thanks for looking! Gina

Get creative with your matching embellishments!

Do you ever have find yourself wanting to use embellishments that go with a particular paper line, but not sure how to make them fit into your page design? Don't be afraid to modify or customize those journaling cards, chipboard pieces, transparencies and other coordinating embellishments to fit your needs!

For my page "the little things" featuring the gorgeous Fancy Pants Daily Grind line, I really wanted to take advantage of the great variety of coordinated embellishments available in the line! But I customized some of the items to make them work better with my overall design plan.



The "little things" quote on the strips paper was a perfect fit for the page, and even gave me the inspiration for my title.



But the wavy shape of it - while very cool - didn't fit my plan for the overall page design. Problem solved: I cut out the quote strip, following the "wave" shape, and then cut it apart word by word to adhere onto the large circle highlighting the focal point photo. Not only does it work better with the page design, but it also ties into the other journaling on the page, which I did with journaling strips.

Next, I turned to the great journaling cards sheet.



How cool is it to get these TWELVE great journaling cards for the same price as a piece of paper?? And like all the paper in this line, the sheet is double-sided and has a great pattern on the back, too! I loved the "these are the moments" card and it was perfect, as-is, to tuck under the corner of my main paper/photo block. But I wanted to give it a little bit more "oomph", and at the same time, add some interest and dimension to the page. So I found that cute little chipboard circle with the heart among the load of chipboard embellies included in the Daily Grind Chipboard Shapes pack:



I placed it over the circle "flower" on the card and let it hang off the edge a bit - it looks like it was made to go there!

Finally, I really liked the card on the journaling sheet with the brackets and the combined dots and grid pattern, and wanted to incorporate it into my title. But rather than use it as-is, I used my circle cutter to cut a circle shape from it, and layered it behind the paper block and title work. I think this provided a better balance to the other circles on the page, and kept the top of the design from feeling too "heavy".

So don't be afraid to get creative with those coordinated embellishments! Use them however you see fit!

- Debbie

Customising Accessories

AllyScraps Next Top Scrapbooker is in its last week. It was my turn for the challenge - customise your accessories (or accents).

I love to customise my products - makes them feel a little more unique. One of my favourite techniques is stamping on my accents such a blossoms or chipboard. It's really simple to do and can really alter the look of your product with very little cost and effort.



For my title, Proof, I want to give the letters a little printed text but I just want little scraps of text. I've rearranged the letters so that when assembled, the text will be jumbled up.

I've selected a text stamp and pigment ink for stamping. Ink up the stamp in a random fashion so that not all the text is covered.



Stamp your letters as normal, you may need to stamp again if some areas are left blank. There's no need to re-ink in between - this just adds to the distressed look.

Hey Presto! Customised letters.

I used the same method to customise my Gerbera before folding in half and layering with net and a button.



We can use the same technique with buttons (use solvent ink such as Staz-on), ribbon, cardstock and paper.



To further customise this layout, I've doodled around the patterned papers, letter and photos to add a little emphasis.

I hope that you'll try customising your products. We'd love to see what you do. Just upload your layouts or projects to the AllyScraps Gallery

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Scrapping!

- Morag x

More from your Stamps

I have to admit I'm a little biased because I love stamps. They are so versatile and can be just used again and again.

I was asked recently about some watercoloured images I had made and thought it might be fun to do a small 'how to'. Now, I'm no expert but this works for me!

I have just recently discovered watercolouring images and it's like being a kid again! I've used watercolour pencils because they are so simple to use and really doesn't require any expertise.



Stamp you image in a solvent based ink such as Staz-on. Watercolour paper is best but any heavy cardstock paper will do.



I start by going around the edges of my image with my pencil. Use the main colour first, add shadow colours or highlights next. Try to imagine where the highlights and low lights of the image would be for a more realistic effect.

Tip: I use small circular movements to prevent pencil marks later but you'll need to experiment with your pencils.



Now for the fun bit. Dip your paintbrush in the water and draw off any excess - you brush should be very damp rather than soaking wet. You can always add more.



Draw your brush from the edges towards the centre to 'pull' the colour. You may need to make more than one pass to get the effect that you want.



Allow the paper to dry before adding more detail such as rosy cheeks or pink tummys.



To make the card, I used some patterned paper from Depot Park from October Afternoon. Add a decorative edge and secure a ribbon along the bottom.



Voila! A beautiful card in about half an hour!

There are literally hundreds of beautiful stamps and the latest from Hero arts can be found here.


Happy stamping!

Morag x

Looking for just that perfect embellishment?

Who doesn't love finding that just perfect ready-to-stick-on-the-page embellishment? I know I do! But sometimes, what you have in your stash just isn't quite what you're looking for. So why not turn to those neglected stamps (come on, I know you have them!) and create something one-of-a-kind that suits your needs perfectly!

For my page "a quiet moment shared", I used several different stamp sets to add interest to my page, and give it just the extra personal touch that I was looking for and couldn't quite find in my usual stash of embellishments.



The page features the gorgeous papers and die-cuts of the October Afternoon "Hometown" line. I really liked the little index tab die-cut, and thought it would be perfect with a stamp from the Autumn Leaves Stamped and Coded collection. To give the stamping a crisper and neater look, I used Post-it notes to mask off the printed edges of the die-cut, so that only the white was left visible.



The scalloped circle at the lower corner of the photo includes several stamps and multiple layers. First I punched the large scalloped circle from the blue ledger paper, and stamped it with one of the circle borders from the Kelly Panacci 360 Degrees stamp set. Next, I cut a circle from a scrap of my background cardstock, and stamped it with the "live laugh love" stamp from the same KP set. After adhering these to my page underneath the photo, I added a chipboard heart, covered with the blue ledger paper, and stamped with the "smile" stamp and another circle border from the KP set. Just a bit of the border shows since most of it was off the heart, but that's ok - it's enough to give the sense of another circle border, and the common theme helps to tie the entire stamped embellishment cluster together.



Finally, I wanted to add another layered scalloped circle, with the date, along the page edge. Although the date itself was computer-printed on the paper to match the journaling, I dressed it up with a stamped circle - yet again, another one from the KP 360 Degrees set! This helps to tie together the circle theme throughout the page. Combining your stamps with text or graphics generated from your computer can be a very effective way to create custom embellishments!

And since I was in such a stamp-happy mood, I also added a border with these Kelly Panacci border stamps. They are so pretty, I really love the touch that they added to the page, and how the balance the October Afternoon die-cut border strip at the bottom.

So, are you itching to get out your stamps yet? I hope so! I would love to see what you can come up with when you start stamping away!

- Debbie

Adding Texture and Dimension to your Layouts

Hi Everyone!

I like to browse online galleries for inspiration when I am feeling uninspired. It is a sure place to find new techniques, interesting color combinations and fresh designs!

The other day while wandering I got to thinking about what made certain layouts "pop" out to me, while others were good but did not deliver as much "WOW" factor. I decided it was the addition of texture and dimension. My eye always spots and loves layouts with interesting textures and lots of lumpy stuff! My "book of inspiration" overfloweth with these kinds of layouts.

This realization inspired my to create this layout:

I used the new Pink Paislee Vintage Moom (http://www.allyscraps.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Pink+Paislee+vintage+moon) on this layout about my second daughter's bedtime song. (I have sung it to her every night since she was about 6 months old and to this day, at age 6 she still requests it! - so sweet!)

To add dimension to this layout I cut out the owl and branch from the pattern paper and mounted it on chipboard and then cut around it. This method provides more strength than just cutting it out and using pop dots underneath; which you could add to the chipboard for even more dimension!

Then I used the new PP Topsiders border (the black on) to ground the layout on the bottom. The topsiders are the PERFECT way to add dimension (and they are already cut and ready to go, all you have to do is adhere the sticker to the chipboard and viola!)

To add dimension and texture to the big stars I hand sewed some gold bugle beads around the border (see, those bead sitting in your stash do have a use!). I used stickles around the smaller ones to add some dimension to them as well.

Now, that still wasn't enough for my dimensional eye, so I went further and added texutre to my title block and TopSider border by running an embroidery stitch along the edge of each.

These are all simple and inexpensive ways to add dimension and texture to your layouts which is sure to make people oh and ah over them!

I cannot wait to see "your" layouts with texture and dimension!

(If you have one to share please post a link to it here in the comments section.. you never know, I might have something special for a poster!)

Oh.. and btw.. BINGO is going to start this weekend on the AllyScraps Message Board! Head over and purchase your ticket and get ready to play! You could win an awesome gift certificate!

Bye for now!

Trish

Making your own chipboard buttons

I have a really fast and easy way to show you how to make your own chipboard buttons from the patterned papers you may have lying around in your stash--
For my example, I chose the brand new line from Graphics 45 at Allyscraps. You'll need some chipboard to make the buttons, a circle punch or die-cut machine to make your "buttons", a hole punch, Diamond Glaze, your paper, and a glue stick.


Start by cutting circles from the chipboard and patterned paper and then adhere the two together. You can stamp on top of the button to add a little texture, or leave it like it is--I chose to stamp on top of my patterned paper for a different look--


When it's dry, punch two holes in the middle of the circle to give it a "button" look. Add the Diamond Glaze on top to give it a glazed, 3-D look and let it dry for at least 2 hours.

Add some ribbon or floss, and you instantly have a really cool coordinating button for your layout--

Add some bling to the top of your buttons, or leave them as is...




This is a quick and easy way to add your own embellies to your pages!!

This layout I made of my mother-in-law to frame and hang on my wall in my home---



Happy Scrapping!!!

~~Kary

Make Your Own ButtonBrads!

Hi Everyone!
I have been at it again! Searching the web for more "make your own embellishment" ideas; and I keep finding more!

Today I am going to share with you a link featuring making your own buttons and/or brads! (I say and/or because you can simply make them buttons or you can go a step further like on the directions and make it into a brad for easy attachment!)

Here is the card I made (the black/white polka dot flower center is the brad that I made following these directions):

This is a great way to get a customized look for your pages or cards because you could buy ANY fabric! I also think you could try pattern paper with the button kit as well!

Here is the link (from a friend of mine's blog)

buttons to brads tutorial

Enjoy!

an easy way to get lots of photos on your page!

Do you ever find yourself wanting to include lots of photos on a page, but not sure how to make it work? I recently did this page with the fun Cosmo Cricket Get Happy line, also featuring American Crafts Sprinkles Thickers in blue, and stamps by Kelly Panacci and Maya Road.

Since the page is about my experience at a monster truck jam with hubby and my boys, I wanted to include lots of photos of the trucks on my page. To make this easier to accomplish, I did some of my work in my photo editing software (in this case, PSE 6 - but similar techniques could be used in many other photo editing programs as well).

The horizontal and vertical "strips" that you see include eleven 2x2 photos, but were printed as just four 4x6 photos. If you print your photos at home, you can easily accomplish this result by placing and sizing the photos side-by-side in a Word document, and printing on 8.5x11 photo paper. But if you are like me and prefer to have your photos commercially printed, with just a little bit of prep work prior to uploading your photos, this is still easy to do!

1. For each grouping of photos, open the 3 photos in PSE. Starting with the photo that you want in the center of your strip, crop the photo to the desired size - mine are all 2x2. When you crop, be sure that the "resolution" option box at the top is set to 300.

2. Go to image -> resize -> canvas size, and expand the canvas to 6x4. Change the "anchor" from the default center of the image, to the center-top row of the image. This will make it easier to align the photos in step 5 below.

3. Now go to the photo that you want to place to the left of the center photo (for a horizontal strip). Again, crop the photo to the desired size. making sure that the resolution is set to 300.

4. Select the "move" tool, and drag the cropped photo onto the first image (the one for which you resized the canvas in step 2 above). This will also make that 6x4 photo the active image.

5. Select both layers of the image (the background layer, which is your 6x4 canvas; and also the layer that contains the new 2x2 image). Make sure that the move tool is selected, and go to align and align left edges, and then again go to align and align top edges. Your left-most image is now snugly nestled into position in the left-top corner of the image.

6. Repeat this process with the third image, except in step 5 you will align right edges and top edges.

When you are finished, you have a 6x4 image that looks like this:

Once printed, this is easily cropped into the 6x2 strip of 3 photos for use on the page! Now, if this process seems like more trouble than it's worth - believe me, once you walk through it a time or two, you will see that it's really very easy to do. And, not only does it streamline the task of putting together your page, since the photos are already cropped and can be positioned as a group (rather than trying to line up 11 individually cropped photos on the page), but it also saves money! Instead of paying to have 3 photos printed, I got a 3-for-1 deal. You'll notice also, I could have added a second strip to the lower part of the photo, and thus gotten a 6-for-1 deal! Now who doesn't love that??... more money to spend on scrappy stuff!

I often use these techniques to add 2 or more smaller images to a 6x4 canvas for commercial printing, even when they will be placed separately on the page, just to save on printing costs. I hope you find these tips useful and will try them out - I would love to see the page you produce using them!

- Debbie

A fun little technique to try--

Ever want to add a little fun texture to your layouts? Well, I have a cute technique that you can use to add a funky "notebook paper" edge to your paper--it's super easy and can add a little bit of fun to your page. All you need are:

paper
ruler
pen or pencil
hole punch
Xacto or craft knife



On the backside of your paper, mark every 1/2 inch about 1/4 inch from the edge--you can make it more than 1/4 inch if you want.



After marking the paper, use your hole punch to make holes where the dots are. You can use a standard office hole punch, or a smaller hole punch (like I used)--it's completely up to you!!



Once your holes are made, use your craft knife to make "slits" in the paper from the hole to the edge--make sure it's a narrow cut--



Once this is done, turn the paper over and distress the edges with an ink pad if you want--take your finger and lift some of the edges up to make it have a bit of dimension--



There you have it! A simple, fun way to make your own "notebook edged" paper!!

Another fun way to add some extra "oomph" to your pages is to add a little bling to your frames on your layouts--here is a frame I cut from cardstock with my Cricut and added some Glitz Icing around the edges--it just adds a bit more fun to your layout!!



Here is my completed layout that I did using these techniques:







Now go have fun and be sure to post your layout in the gallery!!

~~Kary