Have you noticed???

The Holiday Gift Sets are back in stock! But, I'm sure not for long! Now is your chance, if you missed it the first time, you still have time to snag one!

I received lots of happy mail this weekend. Happy mail from Eva, Jenn and Jannie. That's the best part of my job! Now, I get to share that happy mail with all of you!

Eva has accepted a Design Team position with a new division of Unity Stamps called {ippity}. You can read more about it on her blog. We'd like to congratulate Eva on her new position and thank her for sharing her beautiful projects with us! This is just ONE of the cards I receieved from Eva yesterday.

Eva used the trees and sentiment from Unity's Joy and Wonder set, the ornament from Unity's Embellished Season. The ornament and sentiment were stamped on one of Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities. Isn't this a beautiful card?!

Jenn created this little treat cup, one of many she will make and place around her house filled with candy for the holidays.

Jenn used the Sizzix Bigz XL Treat Cup die to make this. What's great is she could easily replace the pumpkin with a candy cane or a snowman for Christmas! Jenn also said these are the perfect size for an extra large muffin or a gourmet cupcake! Yum! Oh, you know what? You could fill these with little treats, candy and a small toy or game, then make a nameplate, attach it to a skewer and have it stick out of the treat cup and use them for your Thanksgiving and/or Christmas nameplates!

My son Cody had a birthday party to attend this weekend so I thought I'd create the birthday a handmade card.

All the papers I used on this card were scraps. I added the die cut tag, circle and star from the coordinating line. I used Santa's Workshop font for the sentiment. I used the Fiskars Apron Lace border punch for the green strip on the opening edge of the card. This card came together in less than 10 minutes! And, no scraps went to waste! Love it!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. The weather here was absolutely wonderful all weekend! We'll be back here on Wednesday with some more wonderful projects from Eva, our friend Carrie and more! Have a great Monday and we'll see you then! Thanks for droppin' by!

Katie

Whew! What a week!

It has been one exciting, inspiration packed week! Don't you think? And, we're not quite done! It's Friday so we have another sketch to tackle. But, before we do let's take another peek at last week's sketch.

This sketch was found on the Page Maps site.

Our friend, Jannie, used this sketch to complete a layout for her recent trip to Long Beach.

Jannie used the Strawberry font for her 2009 and added that to a Revolution Tab. To make the 'Long Beach' part of her title she used the Monogram dies and added thin foam dots under the letters to give them some dimension. You can see the shadow the foam dots provided. Jannie used the kraft colored cardstock because it made her think of sand. Such a great idea!

This weeks' sketch comes to us from Scrapbook's Etc.

This sketch is actually a two-page, 8 1/2 x 11 layout BUT, check out our samples to see the versatility!

I mentioned the other day that I would have a layout from a special guest. Well, our special guest is none other than Michelle Granger. For those of you who are not familiar with Michelle, she is THE teacher for Quick Quotes! She teaches their classes at conventions all over the country and at their Private Reserves. And, she is AMAZING at what she does! So, here is Michelle's take on this week's sketch...

Michelle started out with some new Pink Paislee Mistletoe papers and rubons. She added some Scenic Route chipboard, a Quickutz Arrow and created her circle with the large Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities. Michelle was inspired by the sketch to create a single page, 12x12 layout. Isn't it great?!

I liked the two-page aspect of the sketch but stretched mine to a two-page, 12x12 layout.

I really liked the accessories from this week's Holiday Gift Set release and wanted to showcase them on regular projects so you could see their versatility. I cut a strip of the striped paper to 2x12 then used the Pop Up Flowers to add dimension to the end of that strip. I stamped the title using my Unity Let's Get Scrappy kit. Then I took a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" square and cut a Pop Up Window out of it. Then I added some Robin's Nest gems to each side for knobs to open the doors. I used my Rockstar font to cut the number 5 behind the window (sorry, forgot to take a pic...blush). The paper, arrow, stickers, flower die cut and chipboard piece all came from my Scenic Route Loveland product kit. The large heart is a canvas die cut from Quick Quotes. I misted it with my Bubblegum Glimmer Mist then added the stickers to it. Then I used the Circle Mini Album and adhered it to the front of the heart and tied it closed with a piece of ribbon. I wrote the 5 things I love the most about my daughter on the circles. Here's a pic of what it looks like open...

This layout was lots of fun to make and I like the 3-d and interactie aspect of it.

Thanks so much for visiting us all week! I have received numerous emails regarding the projects and the gift sets. We really enjoy being able to share our projects with you and we thank you all for your kind comments and for your business! After all, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you! I wish you all a wonderful Fall weekend and we'll see you right back here Monday morning!

Katie

Man!!!! You guys are fast!!!

By noon(ish) yesterday Gingerbread was sold out! By the time I went to bed last night the Gift Sets, Heritage and Recipe dies were too! I got up this morning and all the Spine Sets are gone! See, we told you guys this was a rockin' set! I LOVE it!

I started a mini Sugarplum album...

I used the cover and the label shaped spine and some Pink Paislee papers and added in a few Scallop pages and a Folder page. I didn't have a chance to finish the album because I sent it to the booth in Seattle as a sample...so they could have something for size reference. But, when it comes back I'll finish it up and show it to you.

Wait 'til you see what Jenn did!

Jenn used the Wintergreen mini book but she wanted it to be thicker so she used the Sugarplum spines! Isn't that awesome? The holdes lined up perfectly so you can mix and match them! She used the Santa's Workshop font for her cover title. Look at what she tucked inside...

Yumm-o! Jenn printed her poem then cut it with the Quickutz Nesting Labels. Here's a close-up of the poem so you can read it...

These would be so easy to make for stocking stuffers or teacher gifts!

Here's a beautiful layout from our friend, PJ...

And a note from her: The die cuts are all created using the Slice by Making Memories. The font and dancer are cut from the Music and Dance cartridge. The tab was created with the Studio Essentials cartridge. The paper is from My Minds Eye, the brads were created to match using the iTop brad maker. Flowers are from Bazzill. I love using double sided paper because it
allows you to create awesome shadows with the new Slice MS+ cartridges. I cut the letters from one side, flipped the paper over and cut the shadows from the other side. Only one sheet of paper was used to create the title and shadows. Dig through your paper stash and look for hidden treasures...it might surprise you!! Have a great Wednesday!

We know that you're as excited about the gift sets as we are! When you receive your sets and get crafty, we'd love to see what you create! You can email me your projects at katie@scrap-mart.com. Don't forget our Friday sketch is coming. You still have time to get me your layouts based on last week's sketch! I have a layout from a special "guest" for this Friday! Can't wait to share! See you then!

Katie

Oh! You better watch out....

you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why; Santa Clause is coming to town! That's right guys, Santa's coming to town. This year's Holiday Gift Set from Quickutz is called Santa's Workshop! But, if I were you, I wouldn't wait for Santa to bring it 'cause they won't last that long!

Santa's Workshop is all about mini albums! Inside this box you will receive the following:

Peppermint Mini Album with one page die, a belly band and an inset page mat. Peppermint's finished size measures 3 3/4" x 5 1/2".

Wintergreen Mini Album with a cover die, a page die and two inset page mats. Wintergreen's finished size measures 6" x 3 1/1".

Sugarplum Mini album with a cover die, a page die and two inset page mats. Sugarplum's finished size measures 4" x 3 3/4".

You also receive Santa's lowercase cookie cutter alphabet complete with numbers and 18 accessory dies including nesting labels, circles, squares ovals and more! All of the accessories are designed to work with all the albums.

But, that's not all!!! In addition to the Gift Set you can purchase spine sets, label shaped pages and folder (pocket) pages for Peppermint, Wintergreen and Sugarplum!

There's also a larger mini album, Gingerbread. It's finished size measures 5 3/4" x 5 1/4". Gingerbread comes with a cover die, a page die, two inset mats and two frame sets. It also has a spine set, label shaped die page and folder (pocket) page available for purchase separately.

And, as if that wasn't enough they've also release two cookie cutter die sets, Recipe and Heritage, to help you with your albums. The Heritage set has a family tree breakdown, silhouettes, and more. The Recipes collection contains fun food and utensil shapes to help you create fun mini recipe books.

And to help your mini books come to life Quickutz added new 3-D shapes. You can choose from the pop-up Flower set or the pop-up Window set.

Last but not least there are two mini accordian albums available. One square and one Circle. Each designed to coordinate with all the albums released.

All the albums and accessories in the Gift Set will work in the Revolution. Gingerbread, however, is for the Epic only...okay, it will also work in the Big Shot and the Cuttlebug. If you use it in the Cuttlebug, you will have to run it through the machine twice to get the complete cut. It works fine though...that's how I cut mine!

So, what do you think? Are you ready to see some projects? Jenn used Peppermint to create a Vacation Journal.

With Peppermint, the pages and cover are all the same size. Jenn created her cover and opted not to use the belly band. She did add the scallop spine from the Peppermint Spine Set. Now let's peek at her inside pages...





In addition to Peppermint, Jenn added shapes from the Relax Gift Set, retired Revolution phrase die, and a Sizzix sun. She also added one of the frames from the Gift Set. Here's Jenn's folder (pocket) pages...

Jenn's going to use these pages to house memorabilia from her trip. Plus, she can take it with her and add journaing to the pages to help her remember things from the trip! How fun!

With four kids and ever changing Christmas wish lists, it can be difficult to keep up. I decided to use Gingerbread to create a Christmas Wish Lists album.

For my cover, I used the scallop spine from the Gingerbread Spine Set and used the Santa's Workshop font for my title. Then I added the Revolution Christmas Tree. For fun I added rhinestones and Polar White Flower Soft (for snow) to my tree. I colored the star on top with my clear Copic Spica Glitter Pen.

Here's a peek at the inside cover and first page.

The December on the inside cover is from the retired Calendar set. To create the large scallop border on the bottom of the first page I used the Circle Mini Accordian album and cut it in half. When I glued it down, I only glued the bottom and sides so I could tuck a photo down into it.

Each child has a folder (pocket) page and a label page in between.

I added a plain mat to the back of the label page and used the other half of my Circle Mini Accordian album on the right side. To cover the score lines on my scallops I placed little bows there. I used the tab from the Gift Set on all the folder (pocket) pages to add the kids' names to and for Shelby, I added one of the labels from the Gift Set to the pocket.

On the backside of Shelby's folder (pocket) page I added a pop-up flower. I backed it with a different patterned paper for contrast. The next page is ready for photos.

For Brian's pocket, I layered the rectangle nameplate over the large oval from the Gift Set and adhered them to a piece of coordinating paper. Since the label page next to his pocket is a brighter and busier pattern, I left that page to embellish after I add photos.

For Seth's pocket, I took the large frame from the Gift Set and used the rectangles from the windows. I tied a ribbon around them to resemble gifts. A simple border on the label page and it's ready for photos.

Last but not least there's Cody's page. For his pocket, I put a piece from the coordinating paper line in a Glitter Rim and added a bow to the edge.

Each pocket page has two Revolution Notebook sheets in it. I will use these to add the kids' wishes to. Then, after Christmas I can add the photos of them opening their presents and I have a complete book!

When I first saw this release I honestly wasn't sure about it. But, the more I looked at it the more I liked it. And, if mini books aren't your thing, you could still get plenty of use out of this Gift Set. The accessories alone are great! I used the Wintergreen album to create this gift card holder...

I used the Wintergreen cover die, the label spine from the Wintergreen Spine Set and Santa's Workshop font for the sentiment. The poinsetta is from the Unity Hodge Podge of Happiness kit. I stamped it twice and layered it to get the red and green. The brad is from the Sassafras Lass Bungle Jungle brad set.

I adhered the folder (pocket) page inside because I wanted it to be more like a card. Then I added the larger label and smaller rectangle from the gift set to the inside left. The to/from stamp is from a Stampin' Up! set of stamps I bought late last year. Since I wanted it to be a card, I glued the spine closed on the inside but before I did, I used my Scor-Pal and scored the front cover so it would open past the holes.

Well, there you have it! The new Holiday Gift Set! Isn't it great?! Between you and me, I heard a rumor that Quickutz has already sold out of Gingerbread so if you have your eyes on that one, I would not wait to order it! They will go fast! And, be sure if you think you like the accessories and spine sets you grab them when you order your gift set! You would hate to decide later that you want them only to find out they're sold out! GASP! While you're here leave us a comment and let us know what you think about the release! Which one are you dying to get your hands on? Please feel free to email me if you have any questions regarding the release! Thanks for stoppin' by today! We'll be back tomorrow for With us Wednesday!

Katie

P.S. Jenn is our Font Queen! She very quickly found the TTF equivalent for Santa's Workshop font and it is called Mighty Tuxedo.

Do you have...

a candy hangover? I think everyone in my house does! LOL! I hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Halloween. Now that October in over and November is upon us our thoughts move to Fall. Cruncy, beautifully colored leaves, hot apple cider and crisp, cool air. Ahhhh.

I went with my 4 year old on his school field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. I took tons of great pics and couldn't wait to get them scrapped. Shaped background papers are a new favorite of mine. Using the Gazelle, I was able to create the giant pumpkin I used as the background for this layout...

In addition to the pumpkin I added the adorable scarecrow digital design. I haven't forgotten about a title, I just can't decide what I want it to say! LOL! My title will go on the large leaf then my subtitle will go to the left of the scarecrow.

Our next project for today comes from our friend, Eva.

Eva used the Lovely Lilacs background stamp as her main image and embossed her card base with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. She used a punch for her sentiment but you could easily use a Spellbinders Nestabilities and just cut it in half! What a beautiful card! Thank you Eva for being so kind and sharing your creations with us!

The Unity November Retailer KOTM is on the site and ready for your pre-order.

If you haven't purchased a Unity Retailer KOTM in the past, let me tell you what you can expect! You will receive one full 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of rubber! All the stamps are die cut so all you have to do is punch it out and ink it up...no cutting around the images! Also, each KOTM is packaged in a Scraponizer so you have instant organization! I would recommend purchasing a set of the Scraponizer Folders as well. Then you can place your stamps inside the folders and each Scraponizer will hold 2 folders! The folders will also work well with your Sassafras Lass and Scenic Route acrylic stamps! Please feel free to call the store or email me if you have any questions!

Also, if you're signed up for our newsletter from the store you should've received our monthly coupon code last night! How fun is that?! 40% off! And it comes right to your door...no waiting in line or wasting gas to get there! Gotta love it! Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued support! You are all greatly appreciated!

Okay, so today's post is a little short but tomorrow's, not so much. Do you remember what is happening tomorrow? That's right! It's the Quickutz Holiday Gift Set reveal! And I cannot wait! Jenn and I have some fun projects to share with you and we can't wait to tell you all about all the dies! This is one release you won't want to miss! So get plenty of rest and we'll see you right back here tomorrow for all the fun!

Katie

Tomorrow is the....

big day! Halloween! My kids are all ready to go trick-or-treating! They all enjoyed their parties at school and were ready for a day off!

Before we get to the sketches I wanted to show you another great project from PJ.

PJ made this border by layering pumpkins she cut with the Spellbound Slice Design Card. This would be easy to make with the Spellbinders Pumpkins too! Wouldn't this look great along the bottom of a Halloween layout?

Now, to refresh everyone's memory let's take a look at last week's sketch.

I found this sketch on Page Maps.

Our friend Karin let this sketch inspire her to create this cute and spooky layout...

Karin used the Graveyard border along the bottom of her layout and added some 2x2 Bats and Ghosts and the tree from the Haunted House with Tree cookie cutter die set. She used the spooktacular Haunted alphabet for her title. I love how the middle photo makes the mask look so much larger than his little body!

Jannie also took on the sketch last week. Check out her layout...

Jannie opted to add a journal block in place of one of the photo spots. She mixed the Strawberry and Teriyaki fonts for her title. She also added the Revolution and 2x2 Bird, Vine border and and Nesting Labels. This is one die-packed layout!

Shar's layout is one subject I dread when I think of my daughter!!!

Just look at that ponytail! Shar used the Paperdoll and Studio Skinnimini fonts for her title. She added the Nesting Circles, 3-d Flowers, Cookie Cutter Flower Shapes, Scissors from the Cookie Cutter School shapes and the Revolution Sunflowers. Gracie's just as cute with shorter hair, I think!

Okay, so are you ready for this week's sketch?

This is another great Page Maps sketch.

I really liked this sketch and decided to make my layout as close as I could get to it.

I topped my pictures off with the Bead Border and framed one of the photos with the Spellbinders Polka Dot Frame. I mixed Moonlight and Flirt fonts to create my title. The little hearts also came from the Flirt gift set and I added one of the Revolution Birds. The cardstock used for the frame, birds and hearts is Core'dinations and after cutting it I lightly sanded it. I really haven't been much into two-page layouts but I do really like how this one turned out!

Well, we hope you've found some inspiration here today. When working with a sketch, even if your layout doesn't look exactly like the sketch, or anything like the sketch, that's totally okay! The sketch is simply a starting point for inspiration. It could be the number or arrangement of photos, the colors in the sample or the actual shapes used in the sketch that inspires you. If you'd like to share your projects based on any of our sketches, even past ones, you can email them to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. Enjoy your weekend and have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Katie

Mr. Brown delivered....

a large box to me yesterday all the way from Lindon, UT. And Jenn got one too. And the store, but theirs was MUCH bigger. What is it you ask? Well, it is none other than next week's Quickutz release!!! Yep! They're here and as soon as you see them you'll want them and we'll be able to get them right out to you. Okay, okay, enough teasing. But, we really do have the dies!

Perhaps yesterday's delivery is why I forgot today was Wednesday! I know, that's really bad. But really, I lost a day somewhere. It's okay though becuase the projects I have to show you will totally make you forget that I was late today! (blush)

We'll start with these awesome Halloween Decor ideas from Shar.

For this project, Shar dropped some candy corn down into a cup then she cut out shapes, adhered them to skewers and stuck them down into the candy! A quick tie of a ribbon around the top of the cup and you have yourself an edible Halloween centerpiece! Shar used the Cookie Cutter Haunted House and Tree (for the tree), the other Haunted House (for the moon, clouds and bat), the Revolution Bat, 2x2 Pumpkins and Ghost.

Now this next idea from Shar is great for those of you who don't like to get your hands dirty carving pumpkins. Or for those of you who have little ones who don't need to play with sharp objects! LOL!

Here Shar used her dies to cut black Quickutz vinyl which she adhered to the pumpkins in lieu of carving them. This is especially great because like Shar said, the pumpkins will last longer not carved and the vinyl is basically weather proof! She used the Haunted House with Tree again and the Halloween border on one. For the other she used the other Haunted House set for the moon, clouds and bats then she used basic shapes to make a face for the smallest pumpkin. Her granddaughter, Grace, helped her make these.

Here's a great treat bag idea from PJ.

To make this cute little guy, PJ used the largest die from the Spellbinders Labels 1 Nestabilities set, a Scallop Circle Nestabilities and 2 regular Circle Nestabilities. For the beak, she cut a Square Nestabilities and cut it into quarters from the corners to make the triangle. These little bags are adorable and could be easy to mass produce.

And here's one more Halloween themed quickie project and a note from Jenn.

Looking for a last mintute teacher's gift? Stop by the drugstore and pick
up a bag of peppermint patties, then grab your QK Nesting Flowers or Spellbinders Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, some black cardstock and a Photo Corner die and voila - instant spiders! I just added some googly eyes and a circle nose for the finishing touch. I've seen this idea on several blogs using punches so I'm not sure where it originated (possibly a Stampin UP rep), but it makes for a quick and easy halloween project. If you don't have a photo corner die, you could use the lightning bolt from the Rev Weather die, or a #7 from many different alphabets. Wouldn't these be great using the chubby animals you can cut on your Silhouette? Or how about the new Quickutz Turkey released last month - the body is a circle and the feathers could go behind. I'm sure you can think of many adaptations for this idea.

Aren't those some fabulous ideas? If you make any variation of these ideas I hope you'll share with us! You can email your projects to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. We'll be back on Friday with some sketchy fun! We hope to see you then!

Katie