Sunday, August 28, 2011

Sunday with Barney

Hi! Welcome to another DSB Sunday! Today's DigiStamp Boutique card features one of my favorite images, Barney with flower.


Supplies: Barney with flower (DSB), Copics, pink floral dp (Hobby Lobby), pink stripe dp (My Minds Eye), ivory and kraft cardstock (TAC), border punch (Martha Stewart), flowers (Prima), sentiment (TAC), brown cs, stick-on pearl, Palette Noir ink - used for sentiment (TAC).


Hope you have a relaxing Sunday!
Lisa

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Fab Friday: Paper Bag Albums

It's back to school time for many of us. And don't brown paper bags remind you of school lunches? So, this week's Fab Friday is all about paper bag albums. Remember those? They were really popular a few years ago. They've had sort of a rebirth, apparently, and all I can say is - wow, paper bag albums have come a long way! It's hard to tell that some of them are actually made from paper bags.

This is one of the best tutorials I saw:



This is a different variation of the album. Supposedly this is easy enough for beginners - she certainly makes it look easy! I may have to try this one.



 Have a great weekend! Hope you find some time to do something creative. I'll see you on Sunday with another DigiStamp Boutique card.
Lisa

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Krafty and Creepy!

OMG! I love, love, love the new Halloween release over at Kraftin' Kimmie stamps! It's my husband's favorite holiday and I love all the fun indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations. So, I just absolutely, positively, had to find time to participate in this week's Make it SPOOKY challenge on the KK blog.

I don't have any Halloween Kraftin Kimmie stamps, but I didn't let that stop me! I bought this Charlotte stamp because she's just a little off-kilter... She's cute but yet just a little creepy, and definitely a little "spooky"!

Supplies: Charlotte (Kraftin Kimmie), Simply Spooky dp (The Angel Company), Copic markers, Nestabilities Label 1, Noir Palette Ink, bat eyelets, purple fiber, black and orange cardstock.

I'm glad Charlotte finally got to see some ink and that I had the perfect project for this dp from The Angel Company. It was always one of my favorite TAC papers. Sadly, The Angel Company has closed its doors today. My thoughts go out to Mischelle Smith and all the Angel demonstrators.
Lisa

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Pink Pops

Yay! There are new images over at the DigiStamp Boutique shop! Today's DSB Sunday card features one of the new images from the Lil Pops Collection.
Isn't she sweet? You could use this image on so many cards - birthday, get well, thinking of you, congratulations, and many more! You can see the rest of the collection by clicking on the thumbnail below:

Whew! Getting back to school and work has been so stressful! I haven't had any time or mojo to stamp. So, I was so happy to not only make a card today but I already have next week's DSB Sunday card done and photographed. Now that everyone's settled back into the school routine, I hope to be posting again soon.

Have a great week! (Does it really have to be Monday again already?!)
Lisa

Friday, August 12, 2011

Fab Friday Tutorial

Yikes, what a busy yet unproductive day! Took Ali to her clarinet lesson - with drive time, 1.5 hours. "Stopped' by work - left 1 hour later. Took Jess to her 1:30 doctor's appointment - he was running late, so we didn't get out until 4:00 PM. Went to work picnic - had a great time, but was gone 2 hours. I did walk the dog and color my hair. (Just would've been nice to remember before 10 PM that I planned to color it tonight!)

So, without further ado, here is my promised tutorial for making my mini-notepads. Excuse the photography - it was late so I had to use flash.

Supplies needed:
cardboard/chipboard
printed paper for covers
cardstock for matting image on front of notepad
paper for notepad pages (I buy copier/printer paper when Staples has it on sale really cheap)
adhesive (I prefer some kind of tape runner or other dry adhesive)
stamped image or other decoration
binding equipment (I use a Bind It All and o-rings)

1. First, cut your covers, printed paper and inner pages.

What sizes? Well, assuming your cardboard is an 8.5 X 11" sheet, cut that into quarters (4.25 X 5.5") for your covers. Your covers determine the size of everything else. General rule of thumb:
- inner pages should be .25" smaller on both sides (e.g., 4 X 5.25" for our 4.25 X 5.5" covers)
- the paper for covering your covers should be 1" bigger on both sides (e.g., 5.25 " X 6.5" for 4.25 X 5.5" covers)

2. Place adhesive on cover, then center on the back of the printed paper. Miter corners as shown below.


3. Use adhesive to glue down flaps. Then cover the back with a piece of paper (cardstock or printed paper, it doesn't matter) that is 1/8" smaller on both sides than the cover.


4. Punch both covers and all of your pages with your Bind It All or other binding system. I don't have a set amount of pages that I include. Your pad's thickness will be determined by what size o-ring (or other fastener) that you use. My pads are usually approximately 1/4" thick.

5. Assemble your cover and pages and bind them together. If you're using a Bind It All and have trouble remembering what order to put your covers in before you bind them, check out this great tutorial: Bind-It-All Basics Part 2. In short, put your pad in order of the finished order (front cover on top of pages on top of back cover), flip the back cover up on top of the top cover, then insert your o-rings.


If you're using a Bind It All, remember these 4 things:
- pull out the black "T" on the back of the BIA. It serves to stabilize it against your surface as you pull down on the lever
- make sure your using the right setting based on the size of your o-rings (that's what those white lines on the binding surface are for - they correspond to o-ring sizes)
- be sure to hold your o-rings flat against the surface of your BIA to help ensure that your rings close evenly/properly
- occasionally clean out your BIA (there's a little "hatch" on the side) because it doesn't punch well when it gets full

6. Next, add your desired image and any embellishments to the front of your notepad. Voila!

I used this cute little Olivia image from DigiStamp Boutique and colored her with Copics (of course). The dp is from the "Simply Delightful" stack by My Minds Eye. It's a great stack because it has so many different patterns and color schemes!

And don't forget that Sally-Ann is still running a 20% off sale at the DigiStamp Boutique site. The discount is good on all the images in the shop.

Lisa

Sunday, August 7, 2011

DSB Sunday

For today's DigiStamp Boutique project, I actually have two samples. I've started working on some things to sell for an upcoming craft show (the Hatton Craft Show in October). One of my best sellers are these little handmade notepads. (Leftovers make great little gifts for teachers, etc., too.)

First up, this one features a fairly recent release, Barney with flower. Barney is just so sweet! You can see the rest of the Barney images here: Barney images.




Next up is a slightly older - but equally cute release -  Isabella. I just love that she is so dainty and cute! 


Both projects were made with papers from the "Simple Delightful" 12X12 stack from My Minds Eye. (I just love that paper stack! Tons of paper in a variety of prints and colors.) The images were colored with Copic markers and the pads were punched and bound with my trusty Bind It All.

If you like these little notepads and want to try making one, be sure to come back Friday afternoon for a Fab Friday tutorial where I'll share my tips for making these handy little notepads!
Lisa

Friday, August 5, 2011

Fab Friday Find

While checking out the stamping and scrapbooking section of my public library, I ran across this book: The Encyclopedia of Greeting Card Tools & Techniques by Susan Pickering Rothamel.


In addition to the great info, there are lots of inspiring samples. You can a lot by reading the book but you'll also be inspired just looking through the samples. There are also biographical entries for several stamping professionals (including Dee Gruening, whom I used to watch on the Carol Duvall show years ago) which also feature examples of their work. The book also includes tips on card composition and card submissions.

Check it out!
Lisa

Thursday, August 4, 2011

DSB MIA?

Wow, how did it get to be August already? Back to school is just around the corner for us now. If you're looking for the new August images from DigiStamp Boutique, there aren't any at the moment. In the meantime, Sally-Ann,  illustrator and owner of DSB, is offering all the images on her website at 20% off.  Also, be sure to check out the Retiring products page, as there are several Christmas/winter images available. Perfect for getting an early start to your holiday cards!

Here's a card using an older DSB image, Ruby. (Ruby is retired, which just goes to show that you should always pick up your favorites while they're still available!)

Come back tomorrow for a Fab Friday post!

Lisa