Last post for this year!!!

Wow! What a rush this year has been. So much has happened in what seems like so little time. I'm sure everyone is thinking the same as me..."where did the year go?" Luckily, we all have our scrapbooks to look at so we KNOW where the year went, right? It went to birthday parties and baseball games, first days of school and graduations, births and moving to new homes. And think of the possibilities that lie ahead for 2010! Amazing!

Friday begins a whole new chapter for us at Scrap-Mart too. We will kick off the new year with a brand new design team and a brand new blog! The new blog is AWESOME!! There is a photo gallery set up so you can see each design team members projects by designer, it has a find it section so you can quickly search out a post with say Spellbinders Labels Nine, it has a drop box so you, our readers can add YOUR projects to the blog too! And that's not all! But, to SEE it you'll have to wait 'til Friday. I know, I'm mean. My kids tell me that all the time. LOL, just kidding. But seriously, you do have to wait 'til Friday.

But what else happens Friday? That's right, we reveal our 2010 Design Team! And what a team we have! You guys won't believe the inspiration just waiting for you! But, until then I have a quickie project to share with you. My mother and father-in-law are adamant about NOT buying gifts for them and that's where this little hobby of mine comes into play. If I MAKE them something, I can still get away with giving them a gift.

My father-in-law still signs ALL his gifts "from Santa" and insists he doesn't buy anything. hehehe So, I thought he would love to have the pictures of the kids visiting Santa. My sister-in-law and I went together with her daughter, who is almost 2 and my two little ones to see Santa. I took their pics and had them printed in wallet sizes so I could fit all three into one frame. I cut a Spellbinders Labels Eight out of green cardstock then again from a patterned paper then cut the patterned paper down to fit just the bottom half of my cardstock label. I tied a piece of white grossgrain ribbon around it to cover the seam. I combined my white mini-alpha stickers with my Santa's Workshop font for the sentiment. Bam! Done in literally, minutes! I love it! And so did they! Imagine the possibilities! You could do this for ANY occastion! Remember Jenn's frame she made? You can see hers HERE.

Thanks so much for a great year! Our job would mean nothing without YOU! We truly appreciate each and every one of you and we look forward to another great year with you. Don't forget to stop by Friday to meet our new design team and check out the new blog! Please have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve and we'll see you NEXT YEAR!!!

Katie

White Christmas...

is a bit of an understatement for those in my neck of the woods! Some areas of Northeastern Oklahoma got 8 or more inches with snow drifts up to 14 inches deep! Wow! It was so beautiful though. The roads are clearing now but I hear more snow is coming for New Year's too!

With the holidays I have not done much creating. In light of our recent snowfall I thought I'd dig into my card vault and share with you again one I made a few months back...

The background for the Snowman was embossed with the Quickutz Snowflake Embossing Folder then misted with a clear Glimmer Mist. I kept it simple with a handwritten sentiment then tied it all up with a gold cord bow.

One of the best parts of my job is all the happy mail I get. I love seeing beautiful projects grace my inbox. The project I'm about to share with you comes from our friend PJ.

PJ used her JustRite stamps to create the sentiment then cut it with Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities and mounted it on a Scallop Circle. What a cute, quick card!

Well, I sure hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! And, let's give it up for another short work week!! Gotta love that! hehehe No fear, we will be back on Wednesday for our last official post of the year! I can't wait to tell you all about our new design team and all the fun stuff we have in store for you! Until then though, enjoy what's left of 2009! We'll see you right back here Wednesday!

Katie

A Yummy for Your Tummy!!

I'm finishing up my last minute wrapping and gift making. Both of my older boys asked for hot chocolate for Christmas. I thought is was a simple enough request but I wanted to give them something special. I saw some hot chocolate treats in cone-shaped bags with marshmallows and candies for $15 the other day. I thought surely I can do that!!! So, I did!

I got everything I needed at Wal-Mart! The baggies I used were Wilton Icing bags found in the craft area. I bought regular hot chocolate packets and dumped them into the bags. One bag has mini chocolate morsels in it and the other has crushed candycanes. I stuffed them into tall mugs and created a handmade tag for each. Here's a closeup view of the tags...

I cut the background for the tags with Making Memories Shimmer Paper and Spellbinders Labels Three Nestabilities. The center image is from the JustRite 2 3/8 Something Sweet set and the border is from the Homemade Treats set. These sets are soooo easy to mix and match! After I stamped the image I cut it with my Circle Nestabilities then embellished it with my Copic Spica Glitter Pens. The tags were tied to the handle of the cups with a little gold cord. I know my boys will love these treats and again, this was a gift that I was able to put together in less than one hour...for both!

Our friend Karin made some mini albums to give her family this year.

Karin used her Gingerbread album from the Santa's Workshop Gift Set collection. I love giving handmade gifts and giving one I can fill with pics is even better! Thanks for sharing with us Karin!

I'm sure glad you've all stopped by today! I know everyone is super busy right now but I appreciate you taking the time to drop in and I hope you've found some inspiration! We will be taking Friday off to spend time with our families for Christmas but we will be back Monday! I hope to see you then! I'd like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with love and family!

Katie

With the hours and minutes...

quickly passing, it will be Christmas before we know it. Inevitably, you'll run across one person you forgot or you will need a last minute hostess gift or maybe even a thank you. Our focus for today is quick, easy and fabulous homemade gifts.

Jenn created this adorable picture frame for her sister...

Jenn started with that adorable picture of her nephew, added some computer journaling then used the Quickutz 2x2 Football and Aquarius font for her title. She tucked it in a black frame and she has a wonderful handmade gift for her sister that is packed with sentiment and love.

My Scor-Pal has had quite a work out this week! Here's another little treat bag I made that would work for just about any kind of candy...

I started with a piece of cardstock that measured 3 3/4 by 12. I laid it on my Scor-Pal with the 12" side along the top and scored at 5" and 7". Then, using my Spellbinders Lables One Nestabilities I cut the frame opening on the front of the treat bad. When you do this part, you want to make sure your label is centered from left to right but you do not want to center it top to bottom...just place it about 1/4" to 1/2" from the score line. After I had the window cut I cut the largest label from my glittery polka dot paper to use as the top closure. Using my JustRite 2 3/8 Wood Stamper and the Something Sweet Christmas Borders and Centers set I stamped the sentiment then cut it out with my Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities. I inked the edges of my circle then adhered it onto my treat bag and tied some ribbons round the opening. Here's a peek from the side...

I tucked some peppermints inside and that was that. Another project you could easliy have done in about 15 minutes!

I'm so glad you've stopped by today! I hope that you're finding inspiration that will help you not only this holiday season but perhaps will inspire you in your crafting next year as well. We'll return this Wednesday with some more crafty inspiration for you! Enjoy your week and don't get yourself too worked up trying to tie up all the loose ends. See you soon!

Katie

Quick Holiday Gift Ideas...

Let's face it, life is busy. You work, you have kids, you have a house to care for and you want some {me} time. For many of us, that {me} time is our craft time. The holiday season brings upon us many more tasks to undertake. I created the mini treat bag below in less than 15 minutes! I spent $1 on a pack of Almond Joy mini candy bars to fill it and I now have a quick, easy, affordable handmade gift to give to my child's teacher or a co-worker. The best part is that this treat bag is easily modified to fit different size candy or treats.

Here's what the bag looks like...

The outsides of this treat bag were cut using Spellbinders Labels 8. LOVE them!! I cut two panels from my Making Memories Slice Shimmer Paper. The inside was made with my Scor-Pal. I cut a piece of Kraft cardstock to 6 1/2 x 7 1/2. Lay the cardstock on our Scor-Pal with the 6 1/2 side along the top and score at 2 1/2 and again at 4 like shown below...

Turn your cardstock 1/4 turn and score at 1 1/2 and 6...

After you have all your lines scored you will cut out the little squares on both 6 1/2 inch sides like shown...

Next, all you have to do is crease your folds and glue your tabs and you have your inside assembled. Adhere your two Labels 8 panels you cut earlier then you're ready to embellish. To embellish mine, I stamped an image with my JustRite 2 3/8 wood stamper and Something Sweet border and center set. Then I cut that image with Spellbinders Labels 3 then mounted it on a slightly larger square. I tucked a little ribbon behind it and added a button with some gold cord and I was done! Here's a peek from the top so you can see how wonderfully the candy lines up inside...

This bag could be easily altered to fit any occasion! Try it and see just how easy it is to make!

We love it when our friends (aka customers) send us handmade items. Check out this beautiful card we received in today's mail...

and a glimpse at the inside...

Amanda used her Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities to cut and layer up this beautiful card. A big thanks to the Havon family for thinking of us this holiday season.

I don't know about your kids but mine are out of school after today. I'm looking forward to these next few weeks and the extra time with them. My youngest ones really enjoy driving around and looking at Christmas lights so I'm sure we'll do some more of that. Please have a safe and wonderful weekend. We hope you'll stop by Monday morning to see a few more last minute gift ideas.

Katie

Ding Ding Ding...

That's it. That's the bell. The 2010 Scrap-Mart DT call has officially closed. Let me tell you, the selection is going to be so very difficult! I have received well over 50 applications! I'd like to thank each and every one of you for submitting. I know sometimes it's hard to put yourself out there like that and while we can't choose everyone, we appreciate the thought, time and effort you all put into your submissions. I don't want anyone to have a heart attack either if you receive an email from me in the next week. hehehe It is very possible I will contact some of you with more questions. The heart attack shall come on or about Dec. 30th {wink}

Okay, how 'bout something crafty? It is Wednesday, after all. With us this Wednesday are our dear friends Jenn, Karin and Kristi. Jenn recently received the new Texture Boutique from Sizzix and she's lovin' it. I know many of us try to find one machine to do it all and the Texture Boutique is for embossing only but Jenn says it gives the finest, most detailed embossing she's seen! And Jenn knows her machines. hehe Check out this card she made using her new machine...

The background and snowman were embossed with new Winter Impressions Folder by Sizzix and the strip was embossed with the Quickutz Polka Dot folder. After she embossed it she inked it up and added some shimmer with Stickles. What a great card!

Karin has completed her holiday decorating and is already getting to her holiday scrappin'! Impressive! Karin created this layout to capture her nativity scene...

Karin trimmed the Quickutz Nativity Border down to fit in her layout. Then she mixed the Holiday and Banana Split fonts to create her title. It's such a nice layout and one that has so much meaning behind it!

This next project is a decorated holiday envelope from Kristi.

Kristi embossed her cardstock with the Quickutz Snowflake Embossing folder then trimmed it to fit her envelope. I'm guess she has a Christmas surprise inside so she tied it all up and added a little tag! What a great way to spruce up your envelopes and gift cards!!

Thank you all for stopping by today! It is cold here in T Town and I'm anxiously awaiting our first snowfall. Although the weather reports are saying nothing but a possibility on Dec. 23rd. I'll take it! How 'bout you? Do you get snow where you live? Do you look forward to it or not so much? Enjoy the rest of your week and we'll see you right back here on Friday. I have a great little treat bag to share complete with instructions. You'll still have plenty of time to whip one up for a last minute teacher gift or to stick in your child's stocking! See you then!

Katie

Tin Foil Technique

Hello and happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Today I'm going to share my new tin foil technique with you. I'm always thinking of new ways to use my supplies to obtain different results. So the other day I pulled out some tin foil and played and was surprised at that results.

You will need your manual die cutting machine (Cuttlegub, Revolution, Big Shot, etc.), a piece of tin foil about 4x6 your color choice of Copic marker ,your Copic Colorless Blender and your Copic airbrush system.

The first thing you will do is wrinkly your tin foil up. DO NOT ball it or you may end up with tears just wrinkle it in your hand until you have the desired look. Here's what mine looked like...

After you've wrinkled then you're ready to apply the color. First you will airbrush your colored Copic onto the tin foil until you have the desired coverage. I will tell you more is better. It will look like this...

Once you've airbrushed your color then you will airbrush the Colorless Blender over it. Since it's clear you have to really watch to ensure you're getting coverage. If you look close enough you will see the color disperse a bit when the Colorless Blender is applied. If you have the Colorless refill you could put a bit in a mister bottle and spray it that way too.

Once you've airbrused both the color and the Colorless Blender then you can carefully transfer your tin foil to your die cutting platform and place your paper or cardstock on it face down. You do not need to press it down or anything just set the paper on the tin foil, complete your sandwich and run it through your machine. And, yes, you run it through with NO DIE. Here's what it looks like when it comes out of your machine...

And this is the result you get...

Isn't it cool? Then you could proceed to die cut letters or shapes from this!

I also tried this technique with some Glimmer Mist and the result was very different...

So, what do you think? It's super easy and a fun way to add a touch of color and the look of texture to your projects. If you try it we'd love to see your project!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! We'll be back Wednesday with a cute little Scor-Pal treat bag complete with measurements and directions! We hope you'll join us. Tomorrow is the deadline to submit your 2010 Scrap-Mart DT application! You can read the call HERE. We intend on having the selections made and the new DT members notified by Dec. 30. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Katie

Friday...already?

Really? This has been one of those weeks where I couldn't keep up with what day it was. How 'bout you? But, it seems as though it is Friday and you know what that means? A new sketch. Now remember we discussed that you would see some card sketches so you could have easy ideas to finish up those Christmas cards.

This week's sketch comes to us from Page Maps.



I flipped the sketch for my card.

Anyone who knows me knows that pink is my favorite color so I couldn't resist making a few cards with pink in them. hehehe I stamped my sentiment then used the larger label from the Santa's Workshop Gift Set to cut it. Super simple, super quick card!

Jenn decided to turn the card sketch into a layout!

Jenn used the BossKut Whoa Nelly font for her title. Isn't that a great font? The star border and bookplate are retired Sizzix dies. The wood grain paper is from Pink Paislee. You can see how easy it is to turn a card sketch into a layout! A little tweaking with your measurements and there you have it!

We're so glad you've stopped by today. Any big plans for the weekend? I am heading out to an all day crop tomorrow with a dear friend. I have developed, if you will, a new technique and I will perfect it this weekend and hopefully at least have a pictorial for you next week. It's really cool and super easy! Whatever your plans I hope you enjoy your weekend! We'll see you right back here Monday!

Katie

Happy Wednesday!

I hope your week thus far has been great! Mine sure has. We went to the Kiss concert last night here in Tulsa. What a rockin' show! OMG! It was so awesome! I got surprised by my boss with a set of tickets when I arrived at work yesterday so we called in Grandpa to stay with the kids and out we went. Got home late and woke up later. hehehe Hence the late post this morning. My apologies.

Our friend, Tammy is joining us today for With us Wednesday. She sent in this layout, which was based on a Page Maps sketch.

To create the page title Tammy used the Paper Doll 4x8 alphabet. Then she used strips of Scallop Border to accent. What a great layout!

PJ has been super busy with her Unity Stamps and Triart Markers! Check out this cute card she created...

The image PJ stamped is from Unity's September Retailer KOTM and she colored it with her Triart Markers. The patterned paper PJ used is from the My Michelle line by Quick Quotes. Isn't it pretty?

Thank you ladies for joining us this Wednesday and sharing your creations with us! And thanks to all of you who stopped by today! The applications for our 2010 SMDT search are rolling in! This is going to be one tough decision and I'm thankful I don't have to tackle it alone! If you are on the fence about submitting just DO IT! You have nothing to lose but tons to gain! If you have any questions at all about the call or the process, or anything at all for that matter, feel free to email me! If you haven't heard about the DT Call you can read the details HERE. Enjoy what's left of your week and don't forget to drop in Friday to see this week's sketch! See you then!

Katie

Just a note...

With the holidays fast approaching I, like many of you, am thinking about teacher gifts. I wanted to make something for Seth's teacher that she could use but I wanted it to be personal. I chose to make her a set of 12 notecards.

To make the notecard base, I used the label shaped Sugarplum Page Insert from the Santa's Workshop Gift Set. I simply folded my cardstock in half and placed it just shy of the cut line on the edge. It cut nicely and even left a small embossed edge from the extra pressure. Then I took a 1" wide scrap of patterned paper and placed it over the widest point of the die and cut it. This is the piece in the center on the front of the notecards. With the help of my JustRite stamps, I was able to personalize her notecards. The outside "from the desk of" came from the 1 5/8" Library of/Desk of/Kitchen of Borders Set. Then, with the Curlz font from the Delux Kit I added her name to the center. Fortunately she had a short enough name. hehehe After I stamped them I used my Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities to cut them out and matted them with Spellbinders Scallop Circle Nestabilities. To spice things up I created the 12 notecards from 3 differnet color schemes. I am going to make a little bagalope or something to house them.

Check out this pocket card PJ made...

The lamp image came from Unity's September Retailer KOTM. PJ stamped the image using Momento Black Ink and colored it using her Triart markers. Momento ink is the best ink to use when coloring with Triart or Copic markers as it won't smear or bleen when you color the image in. She added some pretty October Afternoon patterned papers and hand drew the dots in the background. PJ cut the lamp image out using Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities and matted it with a Scallop Oval.

Don't forget about our 2010 DT Call. You can read the details on what and how to submit HERE. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. Thanks so much for stoppin' by today! We are busy planning for 2010 and you guys won't beleive all we have in store for you! We'll be back on Wednesday and we hope to see you then!

Katie

How 'bout a sketch?

I don't know about you but I really missed not having a sketch last week. It made me off all week. I know it's been a while so let's take a peek at the last sketch I posted...

This sketch was found on Scrapbook's Etc.

Here's Jannie's take on the sketch...

Jannie tucked Revolution Tags into the large vellum pocket and added photos and journaling to them. The papers and embellishments she used are Pink Paislee goodies. Such a cute layout!

I was thinking since we're in the month of December and Christmas is getting closer that we should do a few card sketches to help inspire you to get your handmade Christmas cards in the mail. This week's sketch is an all new Page Maps sketch.



I really enjoyed this sketch! Here's my take...

I used my new JustRite Stamps to create my sentiment. I started with my 2 3/8 Circle Wood Stamper and my Brayton font. I arranged the word Merry on the curve then stamped it.

Then using the same font I spelled Christmas on my Rectangle Wood Stamper and stamped it onto my red cardstock.

After I got my sentiment stamped I used my Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities to cut out the Merry and the Spellbinders Double End Tags to cut out Christmas. Then I added a small Spellbinders Scallop Circle mat behind the Merry circle. For added texture, I embossed a piece of acrylic with my Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Border then filled in the back with red Stickles. After it dried, I used my Scor-Tape to adhere it to the card. The holly is from the Jolly Gift Set and after cutting out the berries I colored them with the new red Copic Spica Glitter Pen. This card really came together quickly and with JustRite Stamps you can easily customize any card in a snap!

Jenn was inspired by this week's card sketch. Take a look at her card...

She embossed her background with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder then added her sentiment, cut from the Sizzix Groovy Girl Border Strip, to a Scenic Route die cut flower. Quick, easy and cute! That's what we're going for.

Before I leave you today I want to share a gift card holder PJ made.

She started with a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 card base and cut the Snowflake and shadow as well as the Joy sentiment were cut from the new Mistletoe M+S Design Card. This is a quick and cute card you could tuck a gift card inside and best of all it would fit anyone...male or female!

Thanks for stopping by today! We'd love to see your homemade Christmas cards! You can email them to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. And, don't forget about the 2010 Design Team Call. You still have plenty of time to submit as the deadline is December 15th, midnight CST. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions at all! We'll be back here Monday with some more holiday inspiration. And, we'll be discussing favorites of 2009 and holiday wish lists! See you then!

Katie

Did you get your...

December coupon code email yesterday? Did you see that Scrap-Mart is now carrying JustRite Stamps?? Isn't that exciting?! I LOVE JustRite stamps. They are soooooo easy to work with and so versatile and best of all they are actually made to work with your Spellbinders dies. Awesome!

I created this card for the Page Maps December Newsletter with my new JustRite Stamps. Now that the newsletter has been posted I can share the card with you.

The 2 3/8 Round Wood Stamper with 25 pt Font Set comes with the bonus cupcake center and border. I used the cupcake center but chose the border from the 2 3/8 Homemade Treats Border and Center set. After stamping the image and border I colored it with my Triart markers. This was my first time using them and I have to say I am very impressed! I feel they are very comparable to Copics yet they are almost 1/2 the price. Don't get me wrong, I love my Copics too and they have many more color choices. But, I think Triart markers are great for someone looking to start a collection. Once I had the image colored I used my Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities to cut the image out then I mounted it with a Scallop Circle Nestabilities. I added a touch of Quickutz Scallop border under the circles and colored some parts of the image and sentiment with my Copic Spica Glitter Pens. The finished size of this card is 5x7.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on some Polar White Flower Soft. That stuff is crazy popular and after playing with it I can see why. I used it to create the snow for this card...

I used the Quickutz Revolution Snowman and added the Flower Soft under him. The Flower Soft Glue dries clear and it will leave the Polar White Flower Soft a little translucent. I learned that if you want a true white look, be sure to put a layer of white cardstock under it! You can also sprinkle glitter into the Flower Soft after you have it on your project. It adds just the right amount of sparkle.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! Don't forget about the 2010 Design Team Call going on now. You have until Dec. 15th to get your submissions in. I want to share questions I receive when they come in just in case someone else has the same one. The question I received today was...

- Can I still apply if I am currently serving on another Design Team?
YES. We will still accept your application and consider you for our DT as long as you are not serving on a DT for a direct competitor (a store that markets the same core products).

Please feel free to email me with any question you may have. This Friday we will resume with our weekly sketch challenge. You still have time to submit your project based on the last sketch, which can be found HERE. See you then!

Katie