If you ask me...

the weekend went by waaayyy too fast! The weather was perfect and the sky was clear! It was wonderful! How was your weekend?

Let's get started shall we? Here's a card Tammy created using the Unity Stamps Hodge Podge of Happiness kit.

After stamping her image Tammy colored it with her Copic Markers and Spica Glitter pens. This is one of those cards you could send just because.

Veronica won some blog candy from a stamp company in Sweden and here's a layout she created with some of her goodies.

She used the Miss Muffet alphabet for the the title, which translates to "lazy summer days". The text on the left is one of the stamps she won and it's from a Swedish summer song. Congrats on your blog candy win Veronica!

Our friend PJ graced my inbox with some wonderful projects yesterday! Check out this cute baby card she made...

The card base itself was cut with an Ellison die but she used her Slice machine and the Animal Crackers design card to decorate the front of the card. PJ's friend is having a baby girl and she created these as the shower invitations. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing with us!

I opened a jar of Flower Soft at the Tulsa CKC to demo and not long after trying it out I had an idea. So, I brought it home and tried it and it worked! Don't you just love it when that happens?! Take a peek...

I cut the tree from the Slice FaLaLa Design Card then covered it with the adhesive-backed Kaiser pearls. Then I covered the entire area with Flower Soft Glue and started layering on my Soft Christmas Green Flower Soft. I *think* I'm going to airbrush some cork paper with my brown Copic marker and use that as the tree trunk. Wouldn't these look fabulous on the front of a Christmas card? Don't worry, I won't leave you haning! I'll finishe the card shortly! LOL!

Well, thanks for stoppin' by today! We hope you had a great weekend and that your week is off to an awesome start as well. We'll be back tomorrow for another fun new Quickutz release! Yep, it's that time again! See you then!

Katie

You guys are rockin'!

My inbox was full again this week with reader layouts based on last week's sketch! I'm lovin' it! Seriously! So, to start let's take a look at this layout from Sharon Scott. Last week was Sharon's first time to share with us and I'm so glad she was able to do it again.

Sharon used the Quickutz Chocolate alphabet for her title and added the makeup. She actually cut the tips of the appliator out of foam then swiped the ends in chalk that resembled the colors of the eyeshadows she'd made in her pallete. How clever! Great job with the sketch!

Karin jumped in this week too! Here's her layout...

If you look closely you can see Karin's layout is not an exact replica of the sketch! That's perfectly okay! That's the beauty of sketches. You can use them for inspiration and follow your own creativity to bring your project alive. Karin used a combination of Cosmopolitan and Banana Split fonts for her title and the Scallop border. Thanks for sharing with us Karin!

Our friend Jannie took up our challenge again this week too!


Jannie told me she is ready for some cooler weather and I have to agree! I LOVE Fall and while I get tired of the ice, snow and cold by Februrary, I too am ready to pull out some long sleeve shirts! LOL! Look at those gorgeous pics of Montana! Jannie used the Reuse alphabet and the Bead Border. Jannie, we're glad you joined us today!

Look closely at Shar's layout...

Here's is Shar's journaling, "At first glance we thought it was just another drunk chicken in a flower bed", the pair reported, "but on closer inspection, we were shocked and saddened to see it was not just any chicken, but Elmo from Sesame Street, dressed in a chicken costume...and wreaking of alcohol.

The reason for Elmo's unexpected demise is still unclear at this time. It is speculated that after a night of partying, an inebriated Elmo, making his way back to his owner's residence while still in costume, was likely accosted by the family dog, rendering the muppet unconscious, subsequently abandoning the toy in a flower bed on Roosevelt Street. Elmo Muppet, whose owner has yet to be contacted, remains among the flowers.

A reward is being offered for any information leading to the identification of the dog in question. At this time no charges have been filed and the dog is not considered a suspect, but is certainly a dog of interest.

If you have any information regarding the circumstances surrounding this case, please contact The Children's Television Workshop at 123 Sesame Street."

How funny is that?! This picture is actually of a toy Shar and her granddaughter found in the bushes on the way to the park one day. Shar printed her journaling onto cream colored cardstock to resemble a newspaper clipping. For the title she used the Diesel Classic alphabet. The Sesame Street sign was made using rounded rectangles and a half circle and she added the Studio Skinnimini font for the name. The stars Shar used are from the USA set. Thanks Shar for sharing your layout with us!

Now onto this week's sketch. I actually designed this week's sketch using my Gazelle software.

Now let's look at the design team's interpretation.

Jenn used the new Halloween Flasks on her Science layout.

Jenn used a mixture of Gazebo and Yogurt alphabets for her title. Looks like they had lots of fun!

Now check out Veronica's layout...

She used a combination of the new Teriyaki alphabet and the Summer of Fun Chicken Soup font. Veronica added the Pirate Ship and a stamp from Unity's This is the Time set. Veronica's family visited an actual Viking Ship! How cool would that be?!

Okay, do you remember when I told you I had plans for the Toilet die?! Well, here it is...

The tile is a mix of Moonlight and Honeybee...my 2 favs! I used my Slice and the Basic Shapes 1 Design card for my circles and shaded the toilet with my Cool Gray Copic (C3). It's hard to see in the pic but I used my Scor-Pal and Scor-Bug to pierce two of the corners of the layout.

Well, we hope you've all had a fabulous week! We're super glad you took the time to stop by today and we hope you'll be able to join us with our sketch this week! We'll be back on Monday with some more great projects! Have a great weekend!

Katie

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday means it's "With us Wednesday" time again! This week, our friend Karin sent me an ADORABLE layout! Check it out...

Karin used the Revolution Pirate Ship, Parchment Scroll, Treasure Chest, Hat and Sword! She also used the Revolution Paper Doll with Pirate costume. What a great layout...and her 'Lil Pirate is sure a cutie! Thanks for sharing with us Karin!

Jenn is still working with that new Starry Night Border die.

Jenn used the Starry Night border for her sky which gives the illusion of falling snow! She also used the 2x2 House. These would make perfect holiday cards!

Here's a cute little birthday card Veronica created.

She used the new Dots Embossing folder to give texture to her card background. She added the limited edition Summer of Fun Teddy Bear and used the new Miss Muffet alphabet for her title. This would make a perfect card for a child's birthday! You could even add a little present to the bear!

Tammy also made a card. She used one of the Sizzix Bigz XL card dies for hers.

She used the Floral Flourish XL card for her card base. After stamping her sentiment she cut it with the Spellbinders Classic Oval Nestabilities then mounted it on a Scallop Oval. The flourish adds such pretty detail.

Apparently the entire design team was in a card making mood because I have one to share as well! LOL!

I used the new Simple Blessings stamp set by Unity for this card. I have to tell you this set is much larger than I had originally though. It would even work well on layouts. This card measures 6x6, to give you an idea of the size of the stamps. I used my Scor-Pal and Scor-Bug embosser for my piercing. After I stamped the sentiment I cut it out using the small frame from the Spellbinders Polka Dot Frame set. I can't wait to use this stamp set again!

Well, we hope that you've enjoyed your visit and found some inspiration! Thanks so much for stoppin' by! We'll be back on Friday for our sketch challenge! You guys are lovin' the sketches and I'm so happy to see so many of you sending in your projects to share! You still have time to participate in last week's sketch challenge! Simply email your finished layout to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. Enjoy the rest of your week and we'll see you Friday!

Katie

Whew! What a weekend!

We had a great time at CKC Tulsa. A huge thank you to all of you who stopped by to say hi! I met so many of our customers and friends and was lucky enough to make a few new ones. I promised you some booth pics so here they are!

This is our BIG sign...



And here's a view of the booth from the register...



Speaking of regiser, here's Johnny counting back some change (and tryig to avoid the camera)...

Look at the bright side Johnny, at least you're not wearing a pink boa!

And here's where I was found in the booth...

I gave demos of the Slice and the new Epic 6.

Well, there's a peek into our world. I only worked two conventions this year but I think I may add a few more next year.

Now, onto some projects! Jenn knew the moment she saw the new Starry Night border she wanted it. But, not for your average Halloween project! Look at what she did with hers...

She used it to wrap a candle and after she lit it you could see the light showing through the holes as the candle burned down! She also wrapped a candy jar with it...

This would make a great treat for any occasion. All you would have to do is change up the color of the border!

Here's a card Tammy created with the new Unity Stamps Hodge Podge of Happiness set.

She colored her image with Copics then cut and layered it with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One. Such a pretty card.

Our next project for today is from Veronica...

She used a combination of Marigold and Studio Skinnimini alphabet for her title. Look at that face!!! He's lovin' his ice cream!

Here's yet another calendar page for my planner I'm making. This is March's topper...

The background paper is from Scenic Route's Surprise line. The lucky is from Unity's August Retailer KOTM. The shamrocks were cut with the Calendar Slice Design Card and I used Fonts Essentials for the 'me'. That's a picture of my youngest son and me. His birthday is in March so of course I had to make it his page!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I hope you had a great weekend too! We'll be back on Wednesday with some more projects! We hope you have a fabulous Monday and we'll see you soon!

Katie

By the time you read this...

I'll be on my way to the Tulsa CKC. We got the booth all set up and it looks great, if I do say so myself! Silly me, I forgto to take pics before I left so I will take some today to share with you Monday.

As usual, before I get to this week's sketch I want to share with you some layouts from a few of our readers. A new friend, Sharon Scott submitted her layout this week.

Sharon used the Bamboo and Bubbles dies along with her Cricut First Arrival cartridge for the title. Thanks for sharing with us Sharon! We hope you join us again!

Our friend, Karin created this layout of her son, Zachary when he was only 4.

That Zachary is a real cutie! Karin used the Nesting Labels, Fox, Revolution Tree, cookie cutter leaves and a the Revolution Antique Flourish. She also added some of the Quickutz Adhesive Backed Vellum for her journaling. Karin, we're so glad you joined us again this week!

Check out Shar's take on the sketch...

Shar the large Scallop Border along with a piece of the Scrap-Mart Exclusive Flourish Border. She also used Nesting Ovals and 2x2 Crown. For her title, Shar combined the Metro Skinni mini, retired Fiesta grand font and the G Monogram. I love her hand doodling around the scallops.

Last, but definately not least is our friend Jannie's layout.

The photo in Jannie's layout is of her dog, Derby. Derby is one of two rescue dogs in Jannie's family. Isn't he sweet?! Jannie used the Revolution Flower, Teriyaki alphabet, Dots Border and a retired Quickutz flower. I like how Jannie is just barely peeking in the photo!

You gals did a great job with last weeks sketch. Are you ready for this weeks? This week's sketch is from Page Maps and was chosen by our Tammy.

Since Tammy chose this week's sketch we'll take a look at her interpretation first.

Tammy used Banana Split for her title along with the Quickutz Scallop Border and Unity Stamps Everyday Use stamp. That beautiful little girl in her photo is her daughter, Catherine.

Here's Jenn's layout...

Jenn used the new Teriyaki alphabet for her title and the Quickutz Club Circle Journal tag. Looks like her hubby celebrated Father's Day while working!

Veronica used the new Central Park alpha for the title on her layout.

She also used the small Scallop Border and a stamp from Unity's This is the Time large stamp set. Veronica added the butterfly and added some glitter to it. Don't you LOVE those photos?!

I created this layout per my husband's request.

For as long as I can remember I've called my husband "Babe". Not long ago our daughter called him "Bib" and when he asked her what a "Bib" was she said "you know, like a baby." She still calls him that! I used my Slice and the Fonts Essentials design card for the title, Basic Shapes 1 (that came with my machine) for the hearts and the Just Chillin' Teen design card for the girl and boy silhouettes. The heart on the right side of the photos is actually a pull tab for my hidden journaling. My husband is happy with the layout and has started a list for others he'd like me to make!

We're so glad you joined us today. We'll be back Monday with some more great projects and pics of the booth from the Tulsa convention. Oh, and we also have a booth set up at the Chicago convention so if you're attending that one, but sure to stop by and say hi to the guys there! Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday!

Katie

I can't believe....

how fast time is flying! Tomorrow we'll be setting up for the Tulsa CKC...already!!! It seemed like it was so far away then BAM, here it is! If you're attenging the Tulsa CKC be sure you stop by the booth and say hi! We just love meeting our cyber friends!

Tammy got her inky little fingers on the new Unity Hodge Podge of Happines kit. The stamps in this kit were chosen by Unity lovers during a round of voting on Unity Place. It's a really great set!

Aren't those owls cute?! After stamping the owls, Tammy colored them with her Copic markers then added some shimmer with her Copic Spica Glitter pens. She cut the image out with Spellbinders Rectangle Nestabilities and layered them before adhering them to the card. She also layered the sentiment then hand cut around it. The sentiment and heads of the owls have dimensional adhesive underneath to give them some added pop.

Jenn and her family recently took a short road trip to Chicago. Of course she had to snap some pics while on the road and she created this layout to document their trip.

Jenn used her Silhouette for most of this layout. She added the new Revolution Brackets Journal Block for her journaling.

I am still working on my calendar and slowly but surely it's coming together. Here's a peek at my month of April.

My son, Seth, was born in April so obviously, this is Seth's page! When he was a baby, I would sing him "You are my sunshine" all the time. It was just our thing. I used the sun, clouds and sentiment from Unity's KOTM. After stamping the sentiment I cut it out with my Spellbinders Labels 3 Nestabilities. I cut the April and the party hat using my Slice Calendar Design card. I'm really lovin' how it's turning out.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by today! We appreciate you all! Even with the convention this weekend we'll still have our Friday sketch. I have some more great reader layouts to show you. You guys are really rockin' these sketches! I get emails from you all the time saying how much you're enjoying them. Those emails make my day! We hope you all enjoy the rest of your week! See you Friday!

Katie

I have another...

great video for you today from our friend, Terri from BossKut. Terri explains a little more about the Gazelle and how it differs from other digital cutters.



I LOVE the 12" format of the Gazelle. That is the number one reason I bought this machine! And, I'm lovin' it! I am going on a weekend retreat soon and I will be using my Gazelle MUCH that weekend! Thank you, Terri for the great info!

You may remember Jenn's layout she did a while back in anticipation of their trip to the Chicago Aquarium. Here it is completed with pics...and she expanded it into a 2 page layout.

She used the Relax Gift Set, Scrap-Mart exclusive BossKut Octopus and she cut the seaweed using her Silhouette. I love that she was able to incorporate so many photos by adding the second page.

Our friend, PJ, sent me this cool card she made using the Copic airbrush system.

PJ started by cutting the 4" snowboarder from the Making Memories Sports Slice Design card. To create the shadow of the snowboarder, she used the negative of the die cut and airbrushed it. PJ used torn masks and her Copics to airbrush the sky and snow then she used a white opaque marker to add further detail. Doesn't that look awesome?! So much detail! Thanks for sharing your project with us PJ!

Here's a quick layout I created using the Scenic Route Appleton collection.

In addition to the Appleton product kit I used my Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities to create the journal block and my Making Memories Fall/Back to School design card for the apple and scissors. I used the Making Memories Slice Metallic Paper in silver to cut the scissors.

We're sure glad you stopped by today! We'll be back on Wednesday with some more great projects. If there's something specific you'd like to see in use or you have any product questions, leave us a comment on this post or shoot me an email to Katie@scrap-mart.com and we'll get it done and/or answered for you! See you Wednesday!

Katie

Friday Sketches and New Product!!!

I have some awesome reader layouts to share with you based on last week's sketch not to mention an all new sketch for this week BUT, before I get to those I want to share about a new product Scrap-Mart is now carrying. The new product is called Flower Soft and it's pretty cool! Flower soft works just like glitter or flock. You apply a layer of glue (Aleen's is recommended and you can find it HERE) then you put on the Flower Soft. The cool thing about Flower Soft is that it leaves a much more detailed, 3-d effect. Here are a few projects from the Flower Soft design team.

Isn't that beautiful?! It just jumps off the page! Here's another gorgeous sample...

Imagine the possibilities!!! Here's one more peek...

Just because it's called Flower Soft doesn't mean you ONLY have to use it for flowers! I'm picturing snowflakes and fluffy snowmen, fluffy black spiders, OH, and even some HAY for a fall layout! OMG! This stuff could seriously take your projects to a whole other level!

Okay, now onto those reader projects I promised. First up is our friend, Karin Brown. This is Karin's FIRST time not only using a sketch but also her first time sharing her project with us!

Karin's layout is of her son, Kaden, with his Garfield Pookie Bear. They started calling her son Pookie and it just kind of stuck with him! She used the Tangerine alphabet for her title along with Spellbinders Labels Four and the Summer of Fun Teddy Bear. What a cute layout! We hope to see more from you Karin!

Here's Shar's take on this week's sketch...

Those photos are of Shar's grandaughter, Gracie, at her Brownie Girl Scouts Slime Explorer Event last summer. She used the Haunted 4x8 alphabet, Revolution Flasks and the Revolution Sign. She also used some of the Quickutz Vellum and Cork paper for the flask and the stopper. Those pics are too funny!

And last but not least, here is a layout from our friend Jannie.

Jannie started out with the new Starry Night Border, the Revolution Tree and the Galosh with the mud puddle. Those pics are just darling.

Thanks to all of you for participating in our sketch challenge and for sharing your wonderful projects with us! Okay, is everybody ready for this week's sketch? Here you go...

This is an all new sketch from Veronica!

And, here's my take on it...

I started with some delicious Pink Paislee papers from the Enchanting collection. Behind the photo, I added in the Scrap-Mart exclusive Flourish border. The tree is from the Slice Fall/Back to School Design Card, the pumpkins are from the Spellbound design card and the title is a combination of fonts from the Fonts design card. To give my pumpkins dimension, I inked the edges then added some chalking. To document the date, I used the little journal block from the Unity Retailer August KOTM.

Well, we're sure glad you stopped by today! Thanks again to our friends who participated in last week's sketch challenge! We'd love for you to join us this week! You can email your finished layouts to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you back here bright and early Monday morning!

Katie

I finally scored a day off!

Don't get me wrong, I have Saturday and Sunday off every week but today, I'm off! And my kids are all in school soooo, I'm headed to my scrap space to work on some projects that have been on my table for some time now. I finally got started on my new calendar/planner. Let's see, it's August so if I work quick enough I should have it ready by January! LOL! Just kidding. I'm hoping to have it done by next week. Here's a peek at my first two pages...

Since it's August my planner will start there but this is my January 2010 page. The top page is a mini-layout and I'll stick a photo of my son playing in the snow inside the Spellbinders Polka Dot Frame. January was cut from the Slice Calendar Design Card. The mittens and some of the snowflakes came from the FaLaLa Design Card and the other snowflakes came from the Seasons Design Card. Then, I used Words and Expressions to get the 'snow' and 'cold' and 'fun' came from the Fonts Design Card. For the frame I used some Core'dinations cardstock and after embossing it I lightly sanded it and the patterned paper is Sassafras Lass. I have lots of ideas for the other months and can't wait to get this book finished. I actually received one similar to this a few years ago from a friend and I've really missed it so I'm looking forward to having my organization back.

Check out Veronica's Pirate layout!

She used the Zelda Grand alphabet to create her title, which reads "On Saturday and Sunday I'm a Pirate". Her son has to wear an eye patch to help train his right eye and he didn't like it much until they told him he looked like a pirate! Veronica also added the Quickutz Pirate Ship and Paper Doll with Pirate Costume and the Boss Kut Treasure Chest, Treasure Map, Eye Patch and Hook and the Telescope and Sword. Doesn't the layout look awesome?!

Our friend PJ sent me this next layout...

She used the new Quickutz Bracket Border die to frame in her layout. The papers and stickers she used are from the Scenic Route Garden Grove collection. She used the Slice Travel Design Card to cut the large road sign and Basic Shapes 1 for the circles. I just love the colors and layers in this layout! Thanks for sharing with us PJ!

Tammy created this layout to document her son, Matthew's, years of pre-school.

She also used one of the new Quickutz Border Brackets for her layout. Tammy added the Quickutz Revolution Schoolhouse and a Copic Marker to darken the roof. Tammy used the Chicken Noodle font for part of her title and the little journal block from the Unity Retailer KOTM to document the name of Matthew's classroom and his age at the time of the photo. Look at his sweet little face!

Well, we're sure glad you joined us today and we hope you're having a great week! I have some AWESOME reader layouts to share with you Friday from last week's sketch plus an all new sketch. Enjoy the rest of your week and we'll see you then!

Katie