50's Kitchen Blog Hop

Welcome to the March 2015 Club Scrap blog hop! This month I'm humbled to be associated with a very talented group of paper artists as we feature the collection called 50's Kitchen. 

If you arrived here from Hetty's blog, you are on the right track. If you want to get back to the beginning of this month's hop, go to Club Scrap--you'll find the complete list of blogs so you can hop right along!

This month's kit is a fun, colorful collection of papers and designs reminiscent of kitchen styles of the middle of the 20th century. The element that grabbed my attention is the cherry motif--I'm drawn to the natural red and green colors, and cherries are one of my favorite fruits! So, since I received my kit at the beginning of the month, I've been trying to think of a project I could make featuring the cherry stamps found on the Art Nouveau stamp sheet. 

50's Kitchen Art Nouveau stamp sheet and project ideas

And, this, blog readers, is the card I created. I believe I got the original idea from a Technique Junkies newsletter several years ago. Not sure if I created mine the same way, but below are the steps I followed to create the grid pattern. (For a list of supplies, see the end of this post.)

Start with a 3 5/8 x 4 7/8 piece of tan cardstock.

Stamp the cherries randomly on the cardstock.

Find the center of the panel; mark a 1" grid on the scrap paper.

Use a pencil to create a grid on the panel, 
skipping the stamped images.

The stamped panel with grid pattern in pencil. 
See how the stamped images look like they 
are on top of the grid?

To add another element, use Post-It notes to mask a square
and a sponge applicator to add a light layer of ink.

Only ink a few squares--just to add interest.

Finally, trace the pencil lines with a black fine-tip pen. 
(I also edged the panel with black ink to set off the design 
before layering onto the red panel and card base.)

Here again is the completed card. I hope you try this technique. I don't think I would have ever thought to put aqua with red and green, but I like the look!

The next stop on the hop is Ann at Crzymom's Tidbits. Her creative mind is sure to inspire you! 

One more thing:
The last time I participated in Club Scrap's blog hop (January 2015), I showed how I organize my collection of unmounted stamps. This time, I'd like to tell you how I use a common office organizing tool in my craft room. Without scrolling down, can you guess how I use this file organizer? Hint: I don't put paper in it!

   
Could you guess? 

I use the file organizer to hold cutting mats, scoring boards, and paper punch boards. For me, it's better than stacking them horizontally, and it can sit on my work table or even on the floor beside my chair (when the table is too cluttered--as it usually is!) where I can easily reach for the one I want. Hope you like this craft room organization idea!

Continue the hop by clicking HERE to go to Ann's blog. 

Until next time,

Lisa Kay

Supplies for the Cherry Grid Card

From the 50's Kitchen collection:
5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Aqua Cardstock (folded to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4)
3 7/8 x 5 1/8 Red Cardstock 
3 5/8 x 4 7/8 Tan Cardstock
Art Nouveau stamp sheet

Additional Club Scrap supplies:
Hybrid Ink Pads: Ruby, Moss, Lagoon
Ink Applicator

Other tools:
Paper Trimmer
Scoring Board (I used Scor-Pal) 
Acrylic Mounting Blocks 
Scrap Paper (to cover work surface)
6-inch Clear Ruler
Post-It Notes
Pencil
Black Fine-tipped Pen

Homestead Blog Hop

Welcome to the October 2014 Club Scrap blog hop featuring the Homestead collection!

If you got here from Tiare's blog, you are on the right path. To start at the beginning (and to see the list of bloggers), head over to the new Club Scrap blog. 

I created one little card for this month's hop. It's the only thing I've created with the gorgeous and down-to-earth Homestead collection, but I've got lots of ideas for more cards and projects. 

For inspiration for a card to make, I checked out the amazing "please inspire me!" site, Pinterest, and searched for "ribbon" and "cards." I created a board with my favorite uses of ribbons on cards. And here is the card I created:

I started with one of my favorite Spellbinders dies (I'll use the die cut on another project). 

And on the reverse of the card panel, I started attaching ribbon strips. I found it best to add adhesive around the shape plus use tape to secure the ends.

 Here's the back side of the panel with all the ribbon secured.

And this is what the front looks like.

Again, here's my finished card. I will definitely be doing this technique again with other dies and my extensive stash of ribbon!

Thanks for taking a look at my blog today. The next stop on the hop is Marya's blog. If you want to see the list of bloggers, return to the Club Scrap blog.  Until next time, Happy Fall, Y'all!!

Cinema Blog Hop!

Welcome to my stop on Club Scrap's Cinema blog hop! If you got here from Tiare's blog, you are right on track. If you stumbled across my blog and want to go back to the beginning and/or see the listing of blogs in this hop, head over to Club Scrap Creates.

This month we are featuring projects made with the classy and "full of memories" Cinema collection. How many of us remember "The End" (or "That's All Folks!") at the end of cartoons and movies or remember what "filmstrips" looked like? I love big and little screen creations, so this kit is one of my favorites!! The memories I have from just looking at the prints in this picture make me smile.

Creativity has been hard to find lately. You know, when you have a lot on your mind it's hard to relax and let creative juices flow. In the meantime, my papercrafting supplies are sitting in the studio wondering when I'm going to break out of this rut and play!!!

I missed the hop last month because of this crazy rut I'm in. I mean, for me to miss an opportunity to play with a floral kit--now THAT'S crazy!! I was not going to let it happen this month, though, and here we are on the day before the blog hop. Nothing like a deadline to force the creativity to flow. 

I'm a scrapbooker at heart, but cardmaking just screams "doable!" to me when I have little creative mojo. So, I grabbed some ink, the Cinema Greetings to Go pack, and some basic scrapbooking tools. And here is what I came up with. Just three cards for now, but they were fun and got my creative juices flowing. (Let's just hope they keep going!)

This first one uses one of the great cutaparts included in the pack. I didn't do anything special to this except mat it on a piece of Wine cardstock and punch out the circles with a 1 1/4-inch circle punch. On the Metallic Grey panel, I stamped a row of movie reels from the Art Nouveau stamp sheet. A simple card, but it got me going. :-)

I've mentioned before that I receive a set of dies each month from Paper Wishes. This month's die set is a Christmas theme, and I was excited to see how I could use these dies with Cinema cards.

Source: Paper Wishes

This card is the largest in the GTG pack. It's essentially three panels with the largest one (Aqua) folded over onto the others and then secured with brads. I die cut three wreathes and two bows for this one. The wreath looks great cut from Wine cardstock. I added glitter glue on the berries and popped the bows with a little foam tape. 

This card is smaller and perfect for OWH. The light colored panel looks almost white in the picture, but it's really Cinema's Aqua cardstock. I repeated the wreath, bow, and glitter glue on this one and offset the panels. 

Well, th-th-that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed my little stop on the Cinema blog hop. Your next stop is Marya's blog. I can't wait to see what she's created this month!

Until next time,

Lisa Kay 

Loving a Little Creative Competition

Club Scrap's online community is having a member-run Summer Camp! For a number of years I helped coordinate the competitions, but this time my schedule does not allow it. Fortunately, though, I have been able to create a few cards to submit for my cabin, Karen's Fountains.

This week the challenge is so simple: create a page, card, project, or digital artwork incorporating a die cut or cutapart. As always, all projects must include at least 50% Club Scrap materials--after all, CS is the sponsor--but that is never difficult for me. I absolutely love the quality, colors, textures, and themes of Club Scrap materials!

Hoping to find time and energy to do some more creating later this week!

Happy crafting,

Lisa Kay

Inspiration from Inspiration

Inspiration breeds inspiration, right? The second 2014 [inter]National Scrapbook Month challenge at Club Scrap Creates is to be inspired by something posted on the blog to create a new piece of art.

I have to tell you, the wealth of inspiration on that blog is phenomenal!! I did some blog surfing and found a bunch of techniques I hope to try, but one entry just grabbed me. HERE is Karen's entry. She was inspired by a card she found on Splitcoaststampers. (Sources in captions below pics.)

Inspiration source #1 . . . Jennae . . . Splitcoaststampers

Inspiration source #2 . . . Karen . . . Club Scrap Creates

And here are the cards I created. The "I Miss You." cards were created with Club Scrap's Nature's Wonders collection (now extinct). Sentiment stamp from Fire & Ice (November 2013). These cards will be sent to Operation Write Home.

I turned the design sideways to create these cards to send to my mom and mother-in-law. The mother stamps are from Close to My Heart, papers are Club Scrap's English Garden collection, the fiber is CS's Color in Black & White, and paisley stamps are CS's Paisley (all these CS collections are extinct).

What have you been inspired by lately? Check out the challenge at Club Scrap Creates and enter your inspired artwork! Last day to enter is May 30. Can't wait to see what YOU make!

Until next time,

Lisa Kay

March CS Blog Hop--Trees

Welcome to my stop on the Club Scrap Creates Trees blog hop! If you got here from Tiare's blog, then you are on the right track. If you want to start at the beginning or see a list of all the bloggers contributing this month, click HERE. 

This month all the bloggers are featuring projects using the March 2014 kit, Trees. Here's a pic of some of the kit elements. You can find more kit items HERE.

Ever have a bad case of crafter's block? Well, that's what I had this month. I often have at least a small idea of what I want to create with the new kit when I first open it. This time, though, nothing was coming to me. I'd looked at the kit, seen projects other CS folks have made with the products, even created a mood board in Pinterest featuring trees and the many beautiful colors in the kit. Still, nothing came to mind when the deadline was approaching for this blog post. Absolutely nothing.

So, with the deadline right around the corner, I pulled out the kit elements and spread them out on the floor. Hmmm . . . nothing.

I opened my stamp binder and found two really cute leaf stamps on the Trees Art Nouveau unmounted stamp sheet. I felt a glimmer of hope when I saw those stamps!

They have text on them, which reminded me of some stamps in the Up, Up & Away! collection from February 2013, so I pulled those out and some of the plain Trees papers and CS inks and started stamping.

Using the leaf trio stamp, I created a background panel using Leaf, Moss, and Earth Club Scrap hybrid inks. 

I then used the dictionary page stamp from Up, Up & Away! to create another background on the dark green paper.

Still not knowing just what I was going to do with these stamped papers, I used Sandstone ink and another UU&A stamp and Moss ink with the Trees row of leaves stamp.

Here are the three stamped papers I created. It was getting late, so I went downstairs to read a few pages in my human resources management text book. This serves several purposes: It checks off another thing on my to-do list for the day, and it puts me to sleep (please don't tell my professor!). But most of all, it enables me to take a break from my creative venture, since at this point, I still wasn't sure what my final project was going to be. I had a start, but I what path I was taking was still a mystery.

A new day brings a refreshed mind (isn't that great?!), and I could finally see what I was going to do for this project. The leaves and the light green paper both reminded me of pears--that's right--pears. And I just so happen to have a pear die! (From Spellbinders' Orchard Harvest Tags and Accents die set.) With a new-found direction, I used the dictionary page dark green paper to die cut two pears. (I didn't use the leaf die, though it's pictured.) I also stamped the leaf trio a few time and cut out a couple leaves to add to the pear die cuts.

And here (finally) is my completed card. The sentiment strip was made using the UU&A stamp and Sandstone ink. I made the row of leaves lighter by stamping first onto scratch paper. The "thank you" stamp used on the top and bottom is from the Milestones kit, and the "thank you" in brackets came from Pure & Simple. (These are both extinct wood-mounted stamps.) The sentiment strip and the pear/leaf on the left are raised with foam adhesive. The fiber is from the Trees embellishment pack. 

There you have it. Sometimes when creativity is blocked it helps to just get out some paper, stamps, and ink and stamp away. Then, get a good night's sleep, and in the morning you'll find your mojo has returned. Mine just happened to be in the form of pears!

Thanks for making it to the end of my blog post. Your next stop on the hop is Marya's blog: A Notebook Novel. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

Until next time,

Lisa