With us Wednesday

You know, the best part about my job, if you want to call it that, is sharing! I love to be able to share projects and ideas and hopefully help to inspire you all in some way. A few months back I posted this...

my April calendar page. When Seth was a baby I ALWAYS sang him the sunshine song. To this day, even though he's almost 10, he will ask me to sing it to him. I LOVE it! After posting this I received an email from our friend Karin Brown explaining that the sunshine song was also very special to her and her son. My page inspired Karin to do a layout about her son with that song in mind. Here's her layout...

Karin adorned the bottom of her page with the Cookie Cutter Rainbow then added her journaling underneath it. She used the retired Sunshine alphabet for her title, added some music notes and clouds from the Cookie Cutter Weather shapes. Thank you, Karin for sharing your layout with us!

Now check out this layout from our friend Shar...

When I saw this layout I couldn't help but giggle. I mean, look at that serious face!! That is Shar's son, Jeffery and she says he still makes that face at 15! LOL! Shar used the Scallop Journal Rectangle and the new Paper Doll 4x8 alphabet. Shar, thanks for sharing your layout with us! Hopefully, Jeffery doesn't read our blog! LOL!

The last project I have to share with you today is from our friend, PJ.

PJ used her Slice and the new Spook Alley +ms design card. The +ms means that design card has the mirror and shadow features. The mirror function is great for embossing backgrounds like PJ did on this card. You simply turn your cardstock face down on your embossing pad, pop your embossing tips into your Slice choose your design and the machine does all the work. This card would also make a great invitation to a Halloween party!

See why I like my job so much?! All this sharing! I know one of you today will be inspired by one of these projects! My layout had a special meaning to me and by sharing it, someone else was inspired to document something they had not previously thought to put in writing. That's the wonderful thing about our hobby. We're telling a story, and not just any story, our LIFE story! We're inspiring others to do the same. This hobby has grown soooo much in the 9 years I've been in it. Thanks to all of our readers who take the time to stop by and for all of you who share and help to inspire others. And, if you haven't shared yet but would like to you can email your projects to me at katie@scrap-mart.com. I hope you're all having a great week! We'll be back here for Friday sketches and we hope you'll join us!

Katie

Wow! What a weekend!

Two shows in two states and a blog hop. A huge thanks to all of you who stopped by one of the booths to say hi and shop. We appreciate you! And, how 'bout that blog hop? Did you see all those amazing projects? The Unity DT did a fabulous job showcasing the new October Retailer KOTM. This month's Unity Guest DT member is Eva. I have seen her beautiful creations on Paperee. Check out the project she created for the blog hop...

Isn't that gorgeous?! You can visit her BLOG to see more of her creations and to read the directions on how she created this card. If you haven't had a chance to visit the hop, I strongly urge you to check it out. It was soooo inpsiring!

Veronica is really enjoying the new Print and Cut files Quickutz has available in their deisgn store for the Silhouette. Check out this layout she made...

For her title, Veronica used the Studio alphabet. There's a bit of a story behind her title too. Her son, Viggo, starts every sentence with "Hello, lock at me..." so Veronica made that the title of her page! LOL! Kids say the darndest things.

The next project I have to share with you today is from Tammy. Her son actually helped her put this layout together.

They used the Unity Stamps Plaid Journal Block and the ampersand from the Banana Split font. I think it's so awesome when our kids get involved with scrappin' too! My 9 year old has expressed more of an interest lately.

Tonight, my son Seth and I are headed to the Miley Cyrus concert with some friends! Wish me luck!!! LOL! I'm ready to take some great pics so I'm sure I'll have some rockin' layouts to share soon!

I love reading emails from our readers! It is so nice to get to know you and chat with you. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who take the time to drop me a line. You are all appreciated! And, even if you have feedback or a suggestion you may feel is not quite positive I still want to hear from you! We are here for you! If there's something you want to see or know about please don't hesitate to ask! If I don't know the answer I will find it for you! Thanks for stoppin' by! Have an awesome week and we'll see you right back here for With us Wednesday!

Katie

TGIF!! Some of us...

are recovering from all the excitement this week while others are attending conventions! Scrap-Mart is all over the map this weekend. We have one convention in Kansas City, MO and another in Ontario, CA. If you're attending either one of these shows be sure to stop by the booth and check out all the awesome deals and be sure to say hi!

If you're NOT attending one of the shows this weekend, like me, then sit back and relax and take another peek at last week's sketch.

This sketch came from Scrapbook's Etc.

Our friend Jannie was inspired by the sketch and here's her layout...

Jannie used the Quickutz Monogram U and S and after cutting them she ran them through a crimper to give them that awesome texture. When she applied them to the layout, she used pop dots to give them added dimension! I love all the journal strips above the photo!

This week's sketch is an October sketch from Page Maps.



I don't usually make layouts with this many photos on it so it was a challenge for me. I pretty much stuck to the sketch...

I used Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities, Rock Star alphabet, Revolution Candles and one of the purses from the Flirt gift set. If you look closely at the flames on the candles and the latch on the purse you'll see lots of shimmer. After I cut them and put them together I colored them with the new Copic Spica Glitter Pens. The new colors are great and there's even a clear one that just adds sparkle with no color!

This next project I'm going to share with you isn't sketch related but it is sooooo stinkin' cute I just HAD to show you! I was perusing the Spellbinders blog and found this...

Isn't this awesome?! This project comes from Eli over at Spellbinders. She used the limited edition Nesting Pumpkins and the Harvest Borderabilities Petite. Don't you LOVE how she made her pumpkins into Candy Corn?! You can read Eli's entire post complete with step-by-step directions on how to complete this project on the Spellbinder's Blog.

We're sure glad you stopped by today! Hopefully, it's dry wherever you are...it's been raining here ALL DAY! That's okay, perfect scrappin' weather, right?! Don't forget to check out the Unity Stampin' Store Kit Blog Hop that begins tomorrow! I promise you won't be disappointed! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you back here Monday!

Katie

Wait until you see....

what I have to show you today! These first two projects were made with Spellbinders dies. One would make an awesome page border, the other is 3-D and would be a great project to do with your kids.

Ms. Mary with Spellbinders was with us at the last convention conducting Spellbinders demos in the booth and she made this...

Isn't that great?! Ms. Mary used the limited edition nesting Pumpkins and the 12" On the Vine Border. After she cut the vine border, she left the cut in the die and shaded it using the Copic Airbrush system.Not only could you use this as a page border, but you could use a shortened version of it on a card front with coordinating envelope too!

This next project comes from our friend, Corrine. Corrine used her Scallop Circle Nestabilities to create this 3-D pumpkin.

You could make these up and use them on your table for Thanksgiving decorations. Or, you could go one step further and cut leaves and add names to them then tie them to the top of the pumpkin and use them for placecards!

A big thanks to Ms. Mary and Corrine for sharing your wonderful projects with us!

Even though they don't celebrate Halloween, Veroinca couldn't resist the ghoulish temptations and the new digital designs.

Veronica used her Silhouette to cut all the elements for her layout. She used a plain colored cardstock and misted it to create a custom background. Isn't it cute, oh, um, I mean spooky?! LOL!

Have you seen the Unity October Retailer KOTM yet? It's so darn cute! It is up on the site and will begin shipping to you this week. If you haven't snagged one for yourself yet you can get it HERE.

Our friends at Unity are having a Blog Hop this weekend showcasing this wonderful kit. It will begin on Saturday and if you want to follow along you can start HERE. Even if you're not really into stamping, I would encourage you to check it out. I promise you will get TONS of ideas and look at it this way, a stamped image is simply an element. If you don't want to stamp it, die cut it! It's so easy to substitute elements to make your project yours!

We sure hope you're having a great week and we appreciate you stoppin' by. We'll be back on Friday with more projects and an all new sketch! Take care and we'll see you then!

Katie

Doll Crazy!!!

Quickutz has outdone themselves for this month’s release with an all new set of paper doll dies, clothing, uniforms and accessories! Check them out HERE. And YES, these new dies are all compatible with the old doll dies and outfits. You can create just about anything - the only limit is your imagination! The possibilities are endless!! Jenn has worked up some AWESOME samples to jump start your creativity!

Jenn's first sample can be used as a card front or a page element.

Jenn used the original doll body and boy hair. His suit is actually the Firefighter outfit cut in white and silver! She used the Starry Night border for the background. Jenn simply cut it twice and used the doll to cover the seam. She used the Nesting Circles to cut the vellum for his helmet.

For her next project, Jenn created a layout.

She started off again with the original doll body. She used the Cheerleader Uniform for the foam finger, the Baseball Uniform for the ball cap, Paper Doll Boy Outfits for the t-shirt and shorts and the Boy Hair. The skull on the foam finger is from the original Pirate Costume. Jenn added the Cloud Border and the clouds from the. The title was cut using the Swingset TTF and the little P on the ball cap using the PS Academy TTF with her Sihouette. She used her Silhouette and the Summer Digital Design Portfolio for the sun.

Check out these characters next!

Do you recognize them?? It’s Bob the Builder and Wendy too! The Construction Worker Uniform worked perfectly here to create Bob. All that was added was hair from the new boy hair die. To get Bob’s red and orange checked shirt, Jenn took some old red gingham paper and colored it with her Orange Copic marker (YR04). If you need some red gingham paper similar to this, SM has some in stock HERE. Using the paper doll outfits and the hair from the Cheerleader Uniform, Wendy was easily created too.

FYI, if you use a Gazelle or Silhouette to cut your fonts, the true type font equivalent of the new 4x8 Paper Doll font is called "Red Pigtails."

Thanks Jenn for the information and your awesome samples!

Wow! Well, let us hear it. What do you think? Tomorrow is With us Wednesday and I can't wait to show you what I've got! You're gonna LOVE it! If you have any questions,just leave a comment and we'll get you an answer ASAP! Have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow!

Katie

Were any of you able to....

make some cards on World Card Making Day? I didn't visit any online forums or special events but I do understand there were quite a few going on. I did, however, manage to complete my stack of moving cards for the boss. As soon as I heard her say she needed moving cards the first thing that came to my mind was "We're moooooving". So I instantly thougth of the Scrap-Mart exclusive BossKut Bessie the Bovine (Cow). So, here's my mooooooving card...

After I got all 12 of my cows cut and assembled I decided I'd add a bit more to the card. That's when I came up with the "Have you herd?" I used the Summer of Fun Chicken Noodle font for that. The grass was hand cut and the bottom portion was embossed with the Quickutz Dots embossing folder. I tied a simple raffia bow on it and that was it. I printed "We've Mooooved" and added the new address to the same red cardstock then cut them out with my Spellbinders Labels 3 and adhered them inside the cards. I'm really pleased with the way they turned out and I hope they bring a smile to the receipient's face.

Tammy also completed her moving cards. Check hers out...

Tammy stamped the mailbox image from Unity's Hodge Podge of Happiness kit then cut it and a mat using her Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestabilities. She colored the image with her Copic markers then added a touch of sparkle with her Copic Spica Glitter pens. What a great card. And her coloring and shading is wonderful too!

My 3 year old daughter attends Head Start and they do what they call a "Family Celebration." They sent home a poster board and asked me to put some pictures on it and tell a bit about Shelby. I wanted to involve her in the process of making it since it is, after all, about her. So, here's our final product...

It cracks me up that the poster board is as big as she is! LOL! Can you see her little head peeking over the top? I cut her name and the mat with my Gazelle along with the word pink at the bottom. I can't remember the names of the fonts but they did come with the machine. Pink, if you could't tell, it her favorite color. In the center under her name is Hello Kitty. Ever since I bought the Hello Kitty Sizzix Sidekick, Shelby has become HUGE fan. LOL! So, I have a small stock of the Hello Kitty dies for things such as this. She chose the Hello Kitty with the floaties and swim ring. I added adhesive to the back of all the photos and let her place them where she wanted them. When she was done I went back and added the details for each photo. She is very proud of her project and when she was done she thanked me for helping her! It was soooo sweet! I had a blast and I'm super glad that she is interested in crafting with me.

Well, we sure hope you had a wonderful weekend. Tomorrow is the BIG Quickutz release day. I already have some fabulous projects from Jenn sitting in my inbox. You won't believe what she has done with this release. It will knock your socks off! Be sure you check back tomorrow to see. We wish you a fantastic Monday and we'll see you then!

Katie

Is it just me or...

has this been a LONG week? I tell you, I thought this week would never end. Sigh. But, here we are on this crisp Friday morning. I have some great layouts to share from our friends based on this sketch from last week.

Tammy found this great sketch at Page Maps.

Here's Karin's take on the sketch.

That cutie in the picture is Karin's son when he was six months old. She combined the Archiver's Hippo and and Monkey to make that cute piggy which she matted using the Spellbinders Oval and Scallop Oval Nestabilities. The title is a combination of Lemonade and Supermarket fonts. So cute!

Jannie's layout is all ready so all she has to do is drop in her photos.

Jannie chose to keep her layout simple because she used busy patternes behind the photos. She used that fabulous Teriyaki font for her title. Getting your layouts done and having them ready for your photos is a great way to get even more scrappin' done!

Check out Shar's layout...

Can you guess what Shar used for the circle mat for her title? She used the Skillet die and left off the handle. That's a very creative way of maximizing your die usage! She combined the Khaki mini and Relax fonts for her title and added the Archiver's exclusive arrows. Shar tweeked her layout a bit to better fit her photos but she was still able to fit multiple photos into the layout.

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

This is actually an 81/2 x 11 sketch but it is easily expanded it to fit a 12 x 12 layout.

Here's Jenn's take on the new sketch...

She used the new Sizzix Snowflake Border and she cut her title using her Silhouette. The font is called Heartbreaker and is the TTF equivalent of Chick-a-Dee. I love the soft colors in her layout. And that pup is just darling!

And here's my interpretation...

I started my layout with the new Sassafrass Lass Monstrosity papers. The felt monsters were all made using a variety of 2x2 QK dies. The blue one on the upper right was made using the doublekutz Christmas Tag and the Photo Turn for his arms. The red circular mat he is on is from my Circle Nestabilities. The red monster on the lower right corner of the photo is the 2x2 Tooth turned upside down. For his "stand" I used the Ice Cream Scoop and cut the rounded part off then I added a small star to him. And the white monster in the upper left corner of the photo is the ice cream from the Ice Cream Cone and his topper is the hook from the Ornament. For the title, I combined the Summer of Fun 4x4 Chicken Noodle and 4x8 Aquarius fonts and sprinkled a few Nestabilities Stars around. I had lots of fun making this layout!

So, what do you think about this weeks sketch? I have a few lined up for the coming weeks but I'd like to know what you would like to see in sketches. Multi-photos, double-page? Perhaps a card sketch? Leave me a comment and tell me if there's something you'd like to see and I'll make it happen.

Tomorrow, October 3rd is World Cardmaking Day. Do you have any plans? I don't have any formal plans but I do plan on making some cards. If you have a few minutes to sit and play I encourage you to make some cards too. If you don't have any birthdays coming you could always start on your Christmas cards. Or, you could make some cards for soldiers. I'm sure they would appreciate it. My husbands cousin is in bootcamp right now so I'll definately be putting a package together for him and what's a package without a handmade card. Right? If you do make some cards this weekend I hope you'll share them with us! You can email them to me at Katie@scrap-mart.com. Thanks for stoppin' by today! We hope you have a fabulous weekend and we'll see you right back here Monday.

Katie