Friday, February 27, 2009

It's Fabulous Friday!

We're so glad you've joined us today! I have lots of exciting things to share. Let's start with the winner of the secret prize! Congrats to Lainey! Please email me your address at Katie@scrap-mart.com so we can get your prize sent to you! Thanks to all of you for joining Paperee. There's lots of fun things to come so be sure to hang around!

Next I'd like to share this layout from PJ with you.

PJ used the new American Crafts Craft Fair line of patterned paper along with some American Crafts cardstock and Thickers. She also used the new Unity Stamps Owl Journal Box. PJ loves the styles and colors American Crafts has available. She especially enjoys how the patterned paper has a coordinating solid on the reverse side! I love me some double-sided paper! If you're attending CKC-Portland, be sure you stop by the Scrap-Mart booth and say "hi" and let PJ give you a product demo!

Check out this layout from Tammy:

She used the Quickutz Bead Border along with the Boss Kut space ship from the Space Bundle. Tammy also used some American Crafts Thickers on her layout for her title.

Veronica was playing with her new alphabets, Marigold and Oatmeal, and created this layout...

She also used the Heart and Scallop borders and some of those fabulous felt flowers she created with her dies. Here's a close-up view of the flowers:


What great projects! Now, I have a challenge for you. I found this sketch online at Scrapbooks Etc. and I already have a layout in progress based on it...

I challenge you to create a project based on this sketch. I say "project" because you may be inspired to make a collage or a card or whatever...it doesn't have to be a scrapbook page! So, use the sketch as inspiration and email me your completed projects by midnight Monday, March 2nd to Katie@scrap-mart.com. I will share everyone's projects in our "With us Wednesday" post. I do ask that you use at least one item that Scrap-Mart carries and please include a supply list in your email. While you're here, drop us a line and tell us what you'd like to see on the blog in the future. We are here for YOU, our readers, and we want to give you what you are looking for! Thanks for stoppin' by and we'll see you back here Monday. Have a great weekend!

Katie

Edited to add...I'm sorry but I made a mistake. This week's sketch comes from Better Homes and Garden's Scrapbook Etc. It is sketch #20! Thanks!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

"With us Wednesday"....

is really taking off! I'm so glad you, our readers, are sharing your projects with us! Today, I'm happy to share two more projects from our talented audience. First up is this beautiful card from Carrie Buss.

Carrie created this card using the Quickutz Nesting Flowers, the number one birthday candle, and the pot from the Quickutz
poinsettia plant
. For the top of the cupcake, she used the cloud from
the Jolee's pink sheep and moon 3-D sticker set then attached some
brads, glued the one candle on, and then put a pop dot on the top/back
of the candle so the flame would stand out. Too cute! Here's a closeup of the cupcake...

You could easily replicate this card using the new Quickutz Rain cloud die.

Our next projects come from Yaritza Rivera. She used her Making Memories Slice to create these Spooktacular layouts.

Yartiza used her Spellbound Design Card for the '08 and the Halloween. Don't you just love that font?!

Jenn is still playing with her new Quickutz release dies! She created this card using the Chocolate Bunny.

She used some patterned paper from Scenic Route's Lynden collection which is just perfect for your Easter themed projects. That bunny looks good enough to eat!

And here's a baby card she created...

That chick in the egg is too cute! And what a clever way to use it! Jenn printed her sentiment using the Heartbreaker true type font which closely resembles the new Chick-a-dee alphabet.

Thank you Carrie and Yaritza for sharing your projects with us! If you'd like to share your projects you can email them to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. Be sure to tell me what Scrap-mart items you used in your project in your email! You still have time to get in on the prize giveaway too. If you missed the details you can read all about it here. All you have to do is join Paperee and leave a comment on Monday's post telling me you joined and what your username is. On Friday I'll announce the winner of the yet-to-be revealed prize! Those of you who have already joined, glad to see you there! While you're here leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite new release die is! We'll see you back here Friday! Until then, happy crafting!

Katie

Monday, February 23, 2009

It's time again for another....

Quickutz release! I'm lovin' these dies! They're all about Spring and luck and outside and weather! Check out this little Leprechaun Jenn made!

Jenn used the Revolution Santa to create her Leprechaun and the Revolution St. Patrick's Day for the hat! She also used the Shamrock Border and she nested an individual shamrock from the Revolution St. Patrick's Day inside. As you can see, they are a perfect fit together! Jenn is one step ahead and her layout is ready and waiting for her St. Patrick's Day photos!

Look at this adorable card!
Jenn used some delicious Sassafrass Lass patterned paper and the Boss Kut Little Bird along with the Quickutz Bead Border and the all new Chick-a-dee alphabet! Don't you just love the little hearts that come with the font?!

This next layout from Jenn says it all...

She used the Revolution Pot of Gold and Revolution Weather, the Chick-a-dee and Aquarius fonts and the Bead Border. She used some stickles to add a bit of shimmer.

Our final project for today is this cute, cute card...

This card sports the Revolution Tree . A touch of ribbon and a hand-written sentiment..."A friend for all seasons"...pulls this card together. Here's a close-up view of the tree with the bird...

Isn't he cute?!

You can view the entire release here. These dies are in stock and ready to ship but they won't last long! We'll be back tomorrow for "With us Wednesday" and we hope to see you here! If you missed Monday's post, you may want to check it out. I introduced everyone to a new online community for Paper Crafters called Paperee. And, there's a prize that will be given away too. You can read all about it here. Hope you have a happy Fat Tuesday!

Katie

Tomorrow is....

Fat Tuesday and in celebration of Mardi Gras our DT has been working up some great projects! Jenn created these tags to slip into her boys' lunchboxes.


For the round tag, Jenn used the Spellbinder's Large Pinked Nestabilities Circles and the other tag was created using the Quickutz Revolution Tag for the base and the largest of the Quickutz Cookie Cutter Tag for the inside. As you can see, the Revolution Tag and the Cookie Cutter Tag fit perfectly together! Thanks Jenn for pointing that out. On both tags, Jenn used the retired Quickutz Mask but if you don't have that die, you could use the Boss Kut Mask. To finish the tags off she set an eyelet and ran some fibers through. What a nice surprise those will be for her kids!

Jenn discovered while working with her Spellbinders Large Pinked Circles that the largest die is too wide to fit through the Revolution so you would need a wider based machine for these dies.

Brenda created this Mardi Gras themed layout...

Brenda started off her layout with the Quickutz Spotlight font. She created her mask by using the Quickutz Revolution Damask and the photo mats with the Spellbinders Nestabilities Squares. Then she added the Quickutz Bead Border. Brenda added Stickles to her title, the mask and the bead border. Don't you love how she alternated the colors on the bead border?!

They don't celebrate Mardi Gras in Sweden but they do celebrate birthdays! Veronica created this "Congrats" card for her sister-in-law's birthday.

Veronica used the new Supermarket alphabet, the Quickutz Nesting Flowers and a variety of smaller flowers. Here's a few more she made up just to have on hand...

She adorned the centers with small beads and buttons. These would look great on any project!

I'm glad you stopped by today! We'll be back for "With us Wednesday" and you won't be disappointed! In the mean time, I'd like you to check out a new site called Paperee. Paperee is an online community for Papercrafters. Once you've signed up you can add photos and videos, create your own groups and participate in the forums. You can add and invite friends and even have your own blog! It's a new site and it's already up to 23 members! Go, check it out. Join us and once you've got your profile set up come back to THIS post and leave me a comment and include your Paperee username and I'll randomly draw a name to receive a prize! Nope, I'm not going to tell you what it is, sorry. It'll be a surprise! See you there!

Katie

Friday, February 20, 2009

Happy Friday and...

welcome back! We're glad you're here and we have some great things to show you today. First up is Tammy's 'Dear God' layout:

Tammy used her Silhouette to cut the large bracket and the Banana Split font for her title. I'm lovin' that large bracket! I can see so many possibilities for it!

Brenda made this Purse Calendar as a gift for her mother:

Brenda used the Quickutz Bead Border and cut it in half to make the tiny scallops, Spellbinders Square Nestabilities, and the Quickutz Rosebud. This beautiful calendar will surely come in handy and her mom will think of her everytime she reaches for it.

Crafty Deb had seen a card in the Quickutz sample gallery she liked and decided to create her own version of it.

To create this cute card Crafty Deb used the Quickutz Doublekutz Chick and Doublekutz Easter Egg. I don't know about you but it sure puts me in the mood for Spring!

The final project for today comes from your's truly.

For this layout I used the yummy new Pink Paislee papers from the Enchanting collection and some Making Memories Shimmer Paper. To create the flower border and title I used my Making Memories Slice. The title was cut from Animal Crackers and the flowers were cut using Basic Shapes 1, Basic Shapes 2 and Noteworthy. Here's a close-up view of the flower border:

Just a few small embellishments like buttons and rhinestones to fill the flower centers and that's it.

Before we leave today I want to share a quick video with you from Brenda. We get lots of questions about what dies will work in what machines. Here, Brenda will show you how to cut and emboss Cuttlebug dies in the Bosskut machine.



Thank you, Brenda and thanks to all of you for stoppin' by today. We'll be back on Monday with some more projects for you. While you're here, leave us a comment or ask us a burning crafting question you may have. It can be a question on a technique, a project, or even a tool! We'll brainstorm over the weekend and have an answer for you Monday. Until then, enjoy your weekend and when you're done creating email me a picture of your project to Katie@scrap-mart.com and we'll share it with our readers in our "With us Wednesday" posts! Take care and we'll see you Monday!

Katie

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's "With us Wednesday" time again!

But, before I get to the projects I'd like to share this photo with you.

This is Ruth Palenski and she was one of the Scrap-Mart contest winners! Ruth, as you can imagine, was super excited when she received her package and wanted to share the moment with us! Thank you, Ruth and congratulations! I hope we get to see some of your creations with your new goodies...hint, hint! LOL!

Projects are rollin' in from our talented readers and to make sure I get everyone's projects posted in a timely manner I'm sharing 2 projects at a time. Our first guest today is Shar.

Shar used the Revolution snowflakes, Revolution label, 2x2 bottlecap set, snowman arms from Snowday gift set, Diesel Classic alphabet, Diesel Grand alphabet and the Stardust alphabet. Shar didn't stop at the die cut either. She gave her title some added dimension by using a four-layer process starting with the title letters in blue, a second set of letters in white, Liquid Applique, and Stickles glitter glue. The detail in this layout is amazing!

Molly in Georgia wanted to create a vintage layout using Scrap-Mart's exclusive flourish...

She paired it with the Bosskut Leaf Flourish (2) and used the Quickutz Gazebo for her title. Also included were the Spellbinders Labels One die and the Classic Ovals to frame the small picture. The papers are the new Cosmo Cricket 'Ever After.' This layout is just beautiful! Thank you Shar and Molly for sharing your wonderful layouts with us!

Our next project is a quick innovation from Jenn. While Jenn was unpacking her box of new goodies, she grabbed the Ice Cream die and it was upside down. As she looked at it, this is what she saw:

Isn't that awesome?! It's a little Samurai! The face was made using the "ice cream" and the hat is the "bowl". No other dies were used! Just too cute! Thanks Jenn!

Our final project for today is a layout from Tammy.

Tammy used the Revolution Flourish, Nesting Flowers, the Scallop Border and Nutmeg font. Tammy's layout was inspired by one of February's sketches from Page Maps. Very pretty layout!

Thanks for joining in today! We'll be back here Friday and we hope to see you! Since you're here, leave us a comment or even a question! We love hearing from our readers! If you'd like to share your projects with us you can email them to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. We hope you're having a great week! See you soon!

Katie

Monday, February 16, 2009

Questions, comments, answers....

and a WINNER! Thanks to all of you who commented! The winner of the Slice Apron is Stephanie! Congratulations to you! Please email your address to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com and I'll get it right out to you! Also, to answer your question I LOVE my Slice! I love that it is battery operated and so portable. I love that you put the machine onto your paper instead of feeding your paper into it. That makes it so much easier to control where you cut. I think the design cards are an excellent value also. Some of them have up to 3 fonts plus more than 40 shapes! My personal favorite is Noteworthy. I use it often.

Shannon, I do think the Slice is worth the money. I have a Silhouette also and I enjoy it as well. I like the portability of the Slice over the Silhouette. I'm also very fond of Making Memories products so I enjoy being able to cut their popular label and flower shapes and embellish them as I wish. I hope that has helped! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions!

Denise from Ohio. I totally understand your thoughts on the All in One Binder. I still use the old zip-around binders and I have a few of the magnetic books. Veronica has a very personalized take on storage. Check out how she does hers:

Veronica used the Quickutz Vinyl to cut the letters and adheres them to the back of the die. For her singlekutz shapes she cuts the shape itself out but for the doublekutz dies she prints a photo from the Quickutz website then adheres them to the back of the die using a shim. How clever?! Then she stores them in the Quickutz 2x2 die storage sheets. Organization and storage is always at the top of the "how to" list so over the next few weeks we'll continue to show you various ways you can store your dies.

Yaritza, YES we will work on a tutorial for you and get that up shortly. In the mean time you can check out this video that Brenda did a while back on shading and using the white gel pen.

Jill, in case you missed the comment, here's the scoop on the scallop on the card Tammy made. The border in the middle card is just one piece of paper, she used the Threading Water border punch to make it. But you could always used two pieces like you said, a rectangle and the scallop border, that's a great idea!!

Whew! I hope that answered everyone! We should do this more often! If you have any other questions you can always leave them in the comments section or email me and we'll get you an answer!

Jenn has been playing with the new Silhouette software. She's really diggin' the new welding feature! Check out her great layout:

Isn't that border awesome?! You can learn how she did that here. She used the University font for her title. The welding feature is just great and it's really super simple! If you haven't tried it yet I encourage you to do so. And, when you're done email me a photo of your project and we'll include you on our "With us Wednesday" post (this goes for anyone...you don't have to send a Silhouette project)!

Well, thanks for stoppin' by today! We'll be back here this Wednesday for another "With us Wednesday" post. See you then!

Katie

Friday, February 13, 2009

Ooooooh, today is....

Friday the 13th! Hehehe! As a kid, I always enjoyed when the 13th fell on a Friday. The scary movie marathons were my favorite. Anyone heading out to catch the new Friday the 13th movie? DH and I are and I'm excited!

But, enough about that. Being the 13th means that it's also the last day to prepare your Valentine treats. Tammy created these simple but pretty cards that say it all.

On the first card Tammy used the Quickutz Square Flower and the Sophisticate Limited Edition font. For the second card she pulled out her Rollerskate font. The third card Tammy made using a Quickutz Heart and the Banana Split font. These cards would make excellent go to's for design so you could make cards for multiple occasions using the same basic layout.

Veronica created 2 layouts using the Revolution Cake die but only cut ONCE! Check 'em out...

See the cake? They're opposites of each other. She cut the cake one time then used the pieces to create 2 similar cakes (okay, I know what you're thinking...yes, she had to cut 2 cake stands)! Saves time, saves paper and best of all she completed 2 projects at once. So clever!

Our final project for today comes from our friend PJ.

PJ used the Quickutz Scallop Border and the Diesel Cookie Cutter and Studio 2x2 fonts for her title. Look at this close-up of her title...

After she cut and adhered her title, PJ hand-doodled around the letters. Doodling is such a simple way to add lots of detail to a layout! Thanks for sharing your layout with us PJ!

Thanks for stoppin' by today...we appreciate you! Whatever your plans for the weekend are I hope you enjoy them! Oh yeah, I think I mentioned the other day there may be a giveaway today didn't I? Well, let's do it! Leave us a comment on THIS post. It can be about anything...a general comment or even better a burning question you have about paper crafting! Maybe you want info on a specific technique or you're not sure what adhesive to use or cardstock or whatever. Leave the comment and I will choose a random winner Monday, February 16th to receive this wonderful Robin's Egg Blue Making Memories Slice Apron!

Thanks and we'll see you back here Monday!

Katie

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

It's Wednesday...

so you know what that means! It's "With us Wednesday" time. Sharing with us this week is Amanda Havon from California. Here's Amanda's layout:

Amanda used the Neat Freak and Washington fonts to create her title and adorned her layout with some pretty felt embellishments. Thank you Amanda for joining us today!

This next layout from Veronica really caught my eye when I saw it in my inbox!

Veronica started with some yummy Sassafrass Lass patterned paper, the Bosskut Little Bird, and the Quickutz retired Fiesta alphabet. I love how she painted the photo mat!

Veronica also created this pretty Princess birthday card.

She used the Revolution Crown, number 4 Birthday Candle and the Storybook alphabet. Veronica added some stickles to the flame so it would stand out. Very cute!

This next project from Jenn makes my mouth water!

Jenn used the Quickutz Banana Split and the Bosskut Licorice Stick alphabet. The glitter cardstock she used makes me think of sprinkles! Jenn thought "It's your Birthday" or "You deserve it" would make a great sentiment for the inside of the card.

We're glad you stopped by today! We'll be back here this Friday with another project packed post! And, who knows there may even be another giveaway! Hint, hint! Thank you to all of you who are submitting for our "With us Wednesday" posts! If you haven't submitted yet, you can email your project to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. There is no judging involved and projects are posted in the order in which they are received! We'd love to showcase your work too. Have a great day and we'll see you in a few days!

Katie

Monday, February 9, 2009

It's Monday already?!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The weather here was just gorgeous! What's it like in your neck of the woods?

Let's start this Monday off right! Check out this birthday card from Veronica:

Veronica used the Quickutz Flower and topped them off with some buttons. Then she used the Quickutz Nesting Circles and the Studio Classic font for her title. I love how she used the circle to highlight the birth date!

The next project is a "quick and easy" layout from Brenda.

Brenda used the Bosskut Corner Scroll to adorn each of her corners on the layout. She then used the Quickutz Paisley to make corners for her photo that would coordinate with the background paper. What a beautiful tribute to her Grandmother.

Since Valentine's Day will be here shortly our DT is finalizing some great projects that you could create, even in a short amount of time! Today, Brenda is sharing these great candy jars with us:

Brenda stuffed these jars with some delicious candies then used some Polyshrink, aka Shrinky Dinks, to create some handmade charms! Here's a supply list of item's you'd need to make these jars...

Quickutz Nesting Circles (to put some printed Cardstock/Paper on the top of each lid.
Quickutz Heart (from "love" set)
Quickutz Heart
Bosskut Double Ruffled Heart
BK Eyelet Scalloped Heart
Shrinky Dink Blank Sheets
Markers
Jump Rings
Mesh Fabric for bows

Once Brenda had all her supplies she cut her shapes from the shrink plastic and used the markers to color them. Next, she attached the jump rings to each shape. After she stuffed the jars, she adhered the Nesting Circles to the jar lids. She tied the ribbons around the lids and just before she completred the bow, she slipped her charms onto the ribbon. These would make wonderful gifts for co-worker, teacher or a family member. And the best part is, you could make these for any occasion!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! We'll see you back here for our next installment of "With us Wednesday". If you'd like to be featured here on the Scrap-Mart blog email me a photo of your project along with a supply list to Katie@scrap-mart.com. I'm just lovin' seeing all the projects from our readers! You guys are serioulsy talented. I hope you have a wonderful start to this week!

Katie

Friday, February 6, 2009

Happy Friday!

I am thrilled to see you are all so excited that Scrap-Mart is adding Unity Stamps to the store! That brings me to the winner of the 3 individual Unity stamps. Random.org chose Brianna as the lucky winner! Congratulations to you Brianna and thank you to everyone who left us a comment! Brianna, email me at Katie@scrap-mart.com with your address and I'll get those stamps right out to you!

I'll start today by showing you this cheery layout from Jenn.

Jenn used her Silhouette to cut the TTF Mandingo true type font she used for her title. She likes this one because it resembles the new Quickutz Yogurt font. She layered her photo on some bright cardstock and Sassafrass Lass patterned paper. She used her Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut the stars and added the large photo turn and the small flower from the retired Quickutz Blossom Gift Set. What a great layout!

Our next layout comes from our guest designer, PJ.

PJ used patterned paper from Scenic Route and the Quickutz Diesel Grand Cookie Cutter alphabet. Here's what PJ has to say about her layout:

My daughter received this quote in a text message from a friend. I
loved it so much I just had to create a scrapbook page using it. I’d
love to share it with our friends at Scrap-mart.com. Who doesn't wish
all these things for their daughter. I only wish I knew where it
originated, if anyone knows please share.


And here's a closer view of the journaling.

Thank you, PJ for sharing your story with us! I'm sure this quote will find it's way onto many a scrapbook page!

The final project for today comes from Brenda! She is busy preparing to spread the love on Valentine's day. Today, Brenda is sharing this beautiful card:

Brenda used the Quickutz Label, Nesting Flowers, Revolution Love die and Mini Tags as well as Bosskut Basic Circles to complete this card. Brenda used a jump ring to attach the mini tag to the bow so it dangles like a charm. I just love all the layers. Who wouldn't love to receive this card?!

That concludes today's post. Thank you for stoppin' by...we appreciate you! "With us Wednesday's" are really heating up so be sure to send your entries in! And just to clarify, there is NO judging...all you have to do is send me a photo of your project using products Scrap-Mart carries and your work will be showcased on the blog! You can email your projects, thoughts and/or ideas to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. While you're here, leave us a comment and let us know if there's something in particular you'd like to see from our DT. I hope you all enjoy your weekend! We'll see you back here on Monday!

Katie