Something exciting is happening....

over at BossKut. They have an all new digital design site at www.bosskutdiecuts.com. In addition to the new Design Shop there's a blog, a tips and tricks section and even an idea gallery! And, if you have Gazelle you can submit projects you've created and they just may appear in the gallery! Isn't that awesome?! The new site is really neat and I urge you to scope it out...even if you don't have a Gazelle! But that's not all! BossKut has also added Print and Cut files to their ever-growing digital design shop. And, their Print and Cuts are actually designed to be paper pieced!!! I can't wait to try them! Hop on over and leave our friends a little love on their new site!

Speaking of BossKut, our friend Terri sent me these before and after images of her laptop.

The top picture is before, of course. She hand drew the dragonfly in her Gazelle software and used the BossKut hibiscus and flourishes. She cut them out using BossKut vinyl then applied them to the top of her laptop. Look closely and you can see she even added some gems! Doesn't it look great?! I'm trying to decide what I want on the front of my laptop now! Thanks for sharing with us Terri!

Veronica's family recently welcomed a new baby girl. No, it wasn't Veronica! It was her hubby's cousin. LOL! Anyway, Veronica couldn't let the occasoin go by without a hand made card. Here's what she made for her...

First, Veronica stamped the background with Unity's Hearts of Old background stamp then she heat embossed it and misted the red over it. Then she added some strips of patterned paper from the Bungle Jungle collection by Sassafras Lass and the Summer of Fun Teddy Bear. She use the Summer of Fun Chicken Noodle alphabet for her sentiment. The customized background adds so much detail to the card.

I finally finished my calendar/planner I've been working on. I have already showed you a few pages but today, I'll share with you the cover.

I used different papers from the Scenic Route Garden Grove collection. I stamped the "Our Story" from Unity's Our Life Our Stories kit and cut it out with Spellbinders Labels 3. The months stamp is from Unity's Let's Get Scrappy kit and the calendar is from Unity's Confessions Anniversary kit. I had a great time making this planner and the best part is that when the year is over I have a great mini-book that documents our daily life...appointments, birthdays, school dates and more! I will share the rest of the monthly pages with you over the next few weeks.

We're glad you stopped in to visit us today. Tomorrow is another Quickutz release so be sure you stop in so see what's now available! I promise, you will love it! Have a great Monday and we'll see you then!

Katie

TGIF!

We hope you've had a fabulous week! I'm super excited because I LOVE seeing all the wonderful projects from our readers flooding my inbox! I'm sooooo glad you are all enjoying and participating in the weekly sketches! We have 4, that's right 4 reader layouts to share this week! Isn't that awesome?!

Since we our numbers are growing and I realize it is very possible someone may be viewing this blog for the very first time, I'm going to start by showing last week's sketch again.

And now, let's take a look at what our readers did with this sketch. First up is first-timer Marie Ashcroft. Marie took the sketch one step further and made a double-page layout!

She used some Nesabilities to make her circles and added the Quickutz Revolution Arrows.

Now, let's take a look at Shar's take on the sketch.


Shar used the Yogurt Grand alphabet for her title. If you look closely you can see she cut it in two different colors and layered them for added detail. She also used the Relax Gift Set (dolphin and fish) and Cookie Cutter Baby Shapes (duck).

Our friend Karin joined in this week too!


She used the Sophie and Storybook fonts and the Flower Border (center) for her title. Karin also used the Revolution Crown and Rectangle and Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities.

Our friend Jannie also took the sketch challenge this week. Check out her layout...

Isn't that a cute dog?! While Jannie happened to use a circle punch for this layout, she pointed out that it would've been just as easy to use her circle Nestabilities or even the Quickutz Nesting Circles. Jannie used the Studio Skinni Mini font for her title.

All I can say is WOW!!! We are growing every week and you are all doing a fabulous job with these sketches! I'm so glad you're finding inspiration in them. Thank you all for sharing your layouts and joining in with us every week!

How 'bout a new sketch? Are you ready? Okay, here you go...

I found this one on Scrapbook's Etc. Whatcha think?

Here's Tammy's interpretation of this week's sketch...

Tammy used the Sassafras Lass Me Likey papers and cardstock stickers for her papers and embellishments and the Summer of Fun Chicken Noodle alphabet for part of her title. She cut the pears from a piece of the patterned paper and used pop dots to give them added dimension. Very cute!

Veronica used photos in place of the paper strips for her layout.

Veronica used her Quickutz Nesting Circles to cut the masks she used to make her background.

And here's what it looks like after she misted it...

Veronica used the Miss Muffet alphabet for her title, the Quickutz Square Nesting Label and one stamp from Unity's This is the Time stamp set. Don't you just love the custom look of this layout?!

And here's my take on this week's sketch...

The papers I used are from Scenic Route's Garden Grove collection. For the title, I used the BossKut Boy Scout alphabet (LOVE IT!). The stamped books are from Unity's Hodge Podge of Happiness kit and the school house was a stamp in one on Unity's KOTM. I really love the colors in the Garden Grove collection.

Thanks to you all for stoppin' by today! We'll be back on Monday to share some more inspiration! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Before we close I'd like to ask you all to take a moment to think about 9/11 and the families who were affected on this tragic day in 2001. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected and especially those who lost loved ones. Thank you to our troops and their families for their sacrifice as they continue to fight for our safety and freedom.

Katie

Hello all and welcome back!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long, holiday weekend! I know I did! I got TONS done at my scrapbook retreat! How 'bout you? What did you do?

We have lots going on right now. First off, there's an AWESOME Spellbinders sale in the store. We're also getting ready for another convention. Lots of travel. And, as if that isn't enough, we have yet another Quickutz release coming next week. Whew! I told you there was lots going on. How 'bout we take a look at some projects? It is Wednesday so let's take a peek at some reader projects shall we?!

Let's start with this card from our friend, Carrie.

Isn't that cute?! Carrie used the Poodle and the Hoop. I like the layers and dimension. And, of course, the pink/brown combo really catches my eye!Thanks, Carrie for sharing with us!

Now let's take a look at another project from PJ. She's been a busy little scrapper lately!

PJ used her Slice to cut the baby bottle from the Animal Crackers design card and added it along with a piece of Scallop Border to this card front. Then, she created a coordinating gift sack...

You can view this video to see how to create this bag yourself.



Thank you, PJ for sharing your projects and the video with us!

Here's a project from SMDT member Jenn. Jenn has really been enjoying her Silhouette lately!


She created this layout with the new dino download shapes. Jenn used the TTF Mandango and bone download shape to create a custom title. Then she created a mat for her title to help pull it all together. What a fun layout!

Since I was away this weekend I took some time to really get to know my Gazelle. This machine is truly amazing! I don't think there's anything it can't do! My son, Seth, LOVES to read so I thought I'd create a custom bookmark for him. Here's a peek at the front:

Isn't that bookworm adorable? He's available on a die too! What I did was I moved each shape to a different part of my screen then arranged my paper on my mat in relation to where the shape was on the screen. By doing this, I only had to make ONE pass through the machine and EVERY piece for the bookworm was cut! The best thing with the Gazelle is what you see is what you get. What I mean by that is the way you see it on the screen is the way it will cut from the machine. No trying to remember which corner will cut where! Also, there's a grid function you can turn on and it will basically break your screen down into 1" squares for you. Then, you can look at the squares on your mat and perfectly place your paper which means you can use up your scraps too!!! You don't have to use a full sheet of cardstock. Okay, so after I cut out the worm pieces and removed them from my screen I then typed my quote. I removed my blade housing from the machine, dropped in a marker and bam!, my Gazelle printed onto my cardstock for me. Then, I used the rectangle function to put a box around my words to ensure proper placement, deleted the words and dropped my blade housing back in. BAM! Instant bookmark! All I had to do was piece together my worm and adhere him to the bookmark. It may sound like alot of work but I promise, it wasn't. Now look at what I did to the back of the bookmark.

I stamped the books and sentiment using stamps from Unity's Hodge Podge of Happiness kit. {LOVE} it! Then, using my Gazelle and one of the MANY fonts it comes with, I cut out Seth's name and adhered it. I did use a different piece of cardstock for the back and just glued them together. This will help it last, I hope. I am going to have it laminated then I will tie some ribbon or something from the top.

Whew! Sorry, I didn't mean to get so long-winded there but I really did want to explain how easy this project was to make. Thank you for stoppin' by today! We appreciate each and every one of you! We'll be back on Friday with some all new reader takes on last week's sketch and of course, this week's sketch! Enjoy the rest of your week and we'll see you then!

Katie

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend! I was able to steal away for a weekend of scrapbooking at a great local retreat house. Since I'm still on vacation, today's post will be short!

Jenn has worked really hard shooting videos using the new Big Shot Express. This machine is impressive. Really. Here's a video where Jenn shows us how to cut with Quickutz dies in the Big Shot Express.


Easy enough, wouldn't you say? I know you all have lots of questions about which dies work in which machines. If you scroll down a bit we have some charts you can view but if you don't find the answers to your questions there please feel free to email me at katie@scrap-mart.com. If I don't know the answer myself I will find it for you!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I have lots to share with you Wednesday so I hope you can find the time to pop in. Have a great week and we'll see you then!

Katie

Happy Friday! It is...

Labor Day weekend which means an extra day off for most of us. Whatever your plans are for the weekend I hope you have a wonderful and safe time.

We'll start off today by sharing a few layouts based on last week's sketch. First up is Tammy.

Tammy used her Nestabilities Ovals and Labels 1 along with the Quickutz Sticky Note alphabet. She also used the Unity Stamps Time of your Life stamp which she stamped onto some Quickutz Adhesive-Backed Clear Plastic . By doing this, Tammy was able to position the clock just where she wanted it without possibly mis-stamping or worse, not liking the positioning! And, since it's adhesive backed you can stick it where you want it and you don't have to worry about hiding your adhesive! Great technique!

Now here's Shar's take on the sketch.

To create her title, Shar mixed Moonlight and Supermarket fonts and threw in the exclamation point from Chick-a-Dee for good measure! She also used the Framed Label, the Summer of Fun Flowers and Circles and some Cuttlebug Hearts. Isn't that a beautiful bouquet?! I love the colors in the layout too!

Now let's take a peek at this week's sketch.

I really liked all the circles and different elements in this sketch. This is another wonderful Page Maps sketch.

And here's what I did with this sketch...

The curly border at the top of the layout is the Sizzix Loops w/Hearts and Bows Sizzlit Border Strip. The title, dress and crown were all cut from the Slice Big Kids design card and the circles and hearts were cut from the Basic Shapes 1 design card. I decided to add a few other elements within the circles to add to the theme of my layout.

Tammy used flowers in place of the circles in her layout and used them to frame her photo...

Tammy added the Quickutz Scallop border and used the Summer of Fun Chicken Noodle alphabet for her title. Great interpretation!

Jenn opted for patterned paper with circles on it for her layout.

For the stitches around the photo, Jenn used the 2x2 Jacks die. She added the Bead Border and used a combination of Sticky Note and Diesel alphabets for her title. Her patterned papers are from Pink Paislee. Very cute!

This particular sketch was out the comfort zone for most of us! I hope that even if it's not your normal style that you'll give it a try! We're so glad you took the time to stop by today. We'll be back Monday with a few goodies to share and we hope you can stop by! Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Katie

It's With us Wednesday time again!

And this week, I have some great projects to share with you! First up is our friend, Shar.

Shar used that adorable Hedgehog along with the small rectangle from the Nesting Rectangles, 4x8 Disco font for her title and Stardust Cookie Cutter alpha for the '&'. She also used the Circles Embossing Border Folder and embossed a piece of cardstock to coordinate with the circles in her patterned paper. What a cute layout! Thanks for sharing Shar!

Next to join us this Wednesday is our friend, PJ. With school back in session PJ has been working on some great school-related projects.

Here she used her Slice and the new Spook Alley design card to cut the school letters out of Quickutz Vinyl in school colors. You could put this on the window of your car, on your kids' folders or even on the outside of their instrument cases! The uses are limitless!

Next up is our friend, Carrie! Carrie created this fun tag to use for a birthday gift.

She used the Dragonfly alphabet to add the "to" and "from". She added a handmade hairbow to the front of the card...

Carrie stamped the cupcake then cut it with the Quickutz Nesting Flowers. What a great gift idea! Any girl would love this!

Thank you to all of this week's With us Wednesday guests! We love seeing your projects! Thanks for joining us today! While you're here, please take a moment to leave our guests some love! If you'd like to participate in With us Wednesday all you have to do is email me your projects to Katie@scrap-mart.com. We'll be back Friday with more reader layouts and an all new sketch! See you then!

Katie

New Thanksgiving from Quickutz and Unity September Retailer KOTM

A double release day! Fun! I have lots to show you so let's get started.

We'll begin with the new Quickutz Thanksgiving collection.

Here are the 2x2's...

And the new 4x4's...

There's a few new Cookie Cutters as well. Here's Give Thanks

and the Nesting Leaves



Then, of course, there's the new 4x8 Harvest alphabet...

They've added a few new embossing folders as well. Here are the new 2x2's...

the A2 Leaves embossing folder...

here's the A2 Menu embossing folder...

and the Leaves Embossing Border...


Speaking of borders, how 'bout these new Cookie Cutter Borders?! There's the Scroll Tree...

and the Thanksgiving word border...



Jenn got right to work and created this layout so all she has to do is drop this year's Thanksgiving photo(s) right in and she's done!

She used the retired Fiesta font and the new Revolution Cornucopia along with some Scenic Route patterned paper.

Jenn also thought it would be fun to make some placecards for her family for Thanksgiving dinner.

Here she used the Placecard die, the Cookie Cutter Monogram Circle(from the Wedding release) the Chick-a-Dee font and the new Wishbone Club die. My kids would love these!

And now, last but definately not least, the new Unity September Retailer Kit of the Month! Say that three times fast! LOL!

This kit is chock full of great images! The acorns and leaves with the thankful sentiment are just in time for Fall/Thanksgiving. Then there's that great journal block that would look great on a card or layout! And of course, the "Chicks Rule" is at the top of my fav list! LOL! We order these kits in limited quanitites so get it while you can! And don't forget, each kit comes in a Scraponizer for instant storage! You by just this month's kit or join our auto-ship program and receive each month's kit automatically.

Thanks for stoppin' by today to check out all the new goodies. Don't forget tomorrow is With us Wednesday and I have lots to share! Have a great day and we'll see you right back here tomorrow!

Katie