Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. I have a big announcement to make … no I’m not pregnant!
We are super excited to announce that our Guest Designer for September will be Céline Navarro.
We can’t wait to see what she comes up with using our AWESOME September Main Scrapbooking kit! Stay tuned for pictures to come and the full kit reveal (that’s tomorrow).
Today is the last day to pre-order the September 2009 Main Scrapbooking kit (withat least a 3 month subscription) and get a special surprise. You have until the stroke of midnight PST to place your order.
If you already have a subscription, just send me an email asking to extended your current subscription for at least 3 months and we’ll send you a special gift as well. And don’t worry about not getting your September kit … if you have a subscription, it’s already reserved for you. If you want the special prize, then just stick with us for another three months! You won’t be diappointed.
Check back later this week for another fun promotion! Hope you’re having a great Tuesday!
P.S.
Just so you know, this is a pre-order. We won’t be shipping the kits until September 10th. So what that means is your card will be charged to ensure you have a kit reserved for you and it will be sent out to you on our normal shipping schedule. If you have questions about our shipping schedule send me a note or visit our FAQ’s page.
I am a huge fan of podcasts. I subscribe to a ton of them and they really help pass the time when I am traveling, while uplifting and inspiring me at the same time. Allison Lee, the host of craftcast, interviews a wide variety of crafters and though I’ve yet to hear a podcast that’s dedicated solely to scrapbooking, I’m impressed by all the crafty and creative folks she rounds up. I always feel energized and ready to craft after a craftcast podcast.
Some of my recent favorites have been interviews with Margot Potter, the Impatient Crafter; and Amy Karol of the blog Angry Chicken.
You be the judge, check it out here. What podcast are you listening to? I am always looking for something new to add to my iTunes library!
My sweet little girl started kindergarten yesterday. I’ve been riding a wave of emotions for the last few weeks. I’m certainly excited for her, but I’m also so sad. Where did all the time go? I seriously feel like it was just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms at the hospital and she was looking up at me with those big blue eyes. She was so little, so precious and just so sweet. And then I wake up one day and five years have passed.
I’ve been surprised at how emotional I’ve been over this transition. Shelby is extremely independent. She’s been going to preschool for years now. And for my “real” job I travel quite a bit and have had to spend time away from her countless times. We’ve adjusted to life as we know it and Shelby is totally comfortable talking on the phone with me each night no matter where I’m at in the world or video chatting with me online. That’s just how our life works. So, I shouldn’t be so sad to send her to kindergarten, right? I guess it’s not so much that she’s away from me during the day, it’s really what it represents: my first born is growing up. In a blink of an eye, I’ll be dropping her off at college. I’m not ready for this.
This is one of the main reasons I scrapbook. I don’t want to be 60-years-old an unable to remember what Shelby looked like on her first day of kindergarten. I don’t want to forget how I felt sending her off to school. I want to be able to recall what she said after she returned home on Day 1. I want to record our story and save it forever.
Why are you scrapbooking today?
Edited: All of the photos for this post were removed, as Grace’s album was accepted for publication. The next time you see the album, it will be in the pages of Scrapbook Trends. You go girl!
Some times the hardest part of creating a layout or a mini-book is getting started. I know that for me, as soon as I dive into the process, things start to flow and come together. It’s the diving in that I struggle with. I over think. I over plan. And then I start to have stress. So, what we though we’d do for you today is offer you a look at a mini-book project from start to finish. Grace was wonderful enough to be our guest blogger and invited us into her process of diving into creating a mini-book from start to finish. Enjoy!
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Time capsule mini-book
By Grace Tolman
Hello everyone and welcome to a start to finish post from me. *smile*
I really enjoyed working with the Chatterbox mini album that came in our Crazy Daisy August kit. It was cute to be used as is without adding too much embellishment but at the same time leaves enough room for personalization.
1. I’m a big sketch person. I like to visualize what I’m going to end up with before I even start. It’s always great to have a foundation. I don’t ALWAYS follow the plan to the “T” but it’s still good to have an idea of where I’m going to take this project to.
2. Next I gather all my supplies, which in this case are small pictures of me, the minibook and everything that’s leftover from my August kit.
3. Then I print out my journaling title in the computer using one of my fave type fonts (Adler).
4. After that I take out one of the butterflies from the mini-book. I’m going to dress up my canvas bag with that butterfly piece. After easily taking it out from the book, I set it aside.
5. Then I start working on the book itself. I first cut the journaling title/prompts into strips. I trimmed them down as well.
6. I then start assembling my book. I first lay my journaling strips and pictures on the books inside pages. I just lay them first without adhering anything. This gives me the freedom to move around the pieces until I feel good about them.
7. At this point I decide to add some pattern papers, so I go with the My Mind’s eye paper in the kit. I punched out a scallop border on the edge first before I trimmed the strip that I needed.
8. After moving things around a bit. I decided that it works for me and so I start adhering things. I decided to use the orange paper strips to go under my pictures.
9. Then I start adding my title. Because the project/book is small I had to use smaller letter stickers, so it won’t overpower the rest of the pages. After going through my personal letter stash, I decided on using the tiny alphas from Making Memories.
10. I had one picture that I wanted to put over the transparent butterfly page in the book so I adhere that with glue dots.
11. After getting all the pictures and journaling strips adhered, I start adding my handwritten journaling. Since the theme of the mini-book was time capsule, I chose journaling that would be related to the “me” now. Examples of my questions where: things I can’t live without; things I can’t stop talking/learning about; how much things cost at this time; and my personal testimony. I also added my stats like what age I am right now, address and people in my family. This book is great for your own time capsule or you can also give it as a gift, leaving space for the recipient to write their own thoughts in there.
12. After getting all the important stuff on there (pictures + words) I go on the fun part…and that is embellishing my pages and book. I start from the front and work my way to the back. For the front of the book, I decide to use the sun sticker in the Heidi Swapp sticker sheet, matted it with the orange cardstock (also included in the kit) and trimmed it off with a scallop scissor.
I added a foil butterfly over it and added pearls (from my stash) to finish off the accent.
13. The most fun part for me about embellishing is how much stuff I can layer over each other. In the next page I layered a leftover star cut out from pattern paper, sticker, rub ons and button.
14. I used a thick ribbon from the kit to make a tab over my title page.
15. To finish off the tab, I added a button. Since the button I wanted have that tab in the back, I decided to cut it off with pliers. I like my buttons flat, but since I couldn’t’ take the entire loop out, I added pop up dots to it so I can adhere it without being too bumpy.
16. Another favorite thing for me right now is applying rub ons onto white cardstock first then cutting the image out so I can layer it onto the page with pop up dots.
17. Here I just added a button (from the kit) with a ribbon paper threaded through it to fancy up a butterfly in one of the pages.
18. Here I add some more rub ons applied to cardstock first.
19. I wanted to incorporate the gorgeous flowers in the kit but realized that they’re just too big, so I can trim them off so it’ll match the size with the rest of my embellishment
20. After a few looks at the book, I felt satisfied with how it turned out so I worked on the canvas bag next. I first trace the butterfly onto a cardstock. I’m going to spray some glimmer mist onto the canvas bag fro more color so I wanted an empty white space where the butterfly page will go.
21. I cut out the butterfly and layer that on top of the canvas bag then I sprayed it with copper glimmer mist.
Once I take off the butterfly cut out, here’s what it looks like…
Set it aside to dry completely.
22. Then I decided to make a title page for my mini-book so I played around with more leftovers from the August kit. I decided on using that relax sticker from the HS sticker sheet but using only the shaped border of the sticker.
I traced the sticker onto the orange cardstock then trimmed to size. I also added rub ons and letter stickers to the title block before adding pop up dots to adhere it to the butterfly piece.
And here’s the result. The green pearls (from my own stash) were also added at the last minute because I felt it was still missing something.
23. Then I worked on a little bit more on the canvas bag. I drew the butterfly image with a black pen.
24. Added some adhesive behind the butterfly block and adhered on the center of the bag at an angle so you can see the traced butterfly image behind it.
25. I added the felt thickers (included in the kit) to personalize my book at the back and added the date.
And after a couple of hours, here’s what it looks like…..
Hope you enjoyed my little start to finish article. And if you decide to follow my lead and make your own “time capsule” mini-book with your butterfly book please share. I love to see how yours turned out.
Till next time,
Grace
Have you been holding off on using ink with your scrapbooking because you just don’t know where to start? Like what inks are good. Which aren’t so good. Which company has the best colors … well wait no more. In this guest post by Crazy Daisy design team member Trace Geworsky you learn all you need to know about the inks out there.
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“I don’t know about you, but I have often gone into a scrap shop in search of an ink pad only to leave feeling slightly overwhelmed. I find ink pads to be pricey, and unless you stamp regularly or have researched them, how do you know that the one you pick will be right for what you want to use it for?
I try to include a lot of stamping on my layouts and other projects (okay…I confess….I have a HUGE obsession with stamps!!!) so I thought I would share some of my notes with you, of my thoughts on certain ink pads…what they work on, if they are easy to clean, etc.
Some of you may disagree with some of my findings, but unless you try them out, you never know, right?
1. Tsukineko Staz on
Pros:
This has got to be one of the most popular brand of ink pads out there.
Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with these ink pads:)
It is a solvent based ink pad
It will stamp on ANYTHING (at least I haven’t found anything that I cant get it to work on) I have tried it on acrylic, glass, metal, paper, candles, leather, suede, aluminum foil, and wood.
It has a mild sweet smelling smell(not over powering)
It comes in many, many colors
The downside:
It will also stain everything…I have ruined many articles of clothes with this ink, and it will stain your hands and stamps.
I have used the Staz On all purpose cleaner, and while it will clean your stamps, it will still stain them.
Pricey
2. Stampin Up
Pros:
This would probably be the next popular ink pad
It is a water based dye ink
It will not stain anything
Super easy to clean….I just run my stamp and acrylic stamp block under running water, and the ink just washes away immediately.
Affordable
If you press the lid into the pad, it will form a puddle of ink, and if you dip a paintbrush into it, you can use it to achieve a water color look on paper.
Dries quickly
Downside:
Works best on paper
I have found it to be very light when stamping it on acrylic, etc..and it won’t dry but just smear at first touch
3) Ranger Adirondack
Pros:
It is a raised felt dye ink pad
The last time I checked it came in 48 different colors, so an excellent selection
Easy to clean. I just use a diaper wipe and it gets the stamp completely clean
Dries fairly fast
Downside:
It works best on paper…it will stamp on metal or acrylic but it shows up so faint, that you wont notice it very much.
depending where you buy it, they can be pricey.
4) Tim Holtz distress ink
Pros:
It is a water based dye ink
Comes in many different colors, and some amazingly vibrant colours
Nice for a vintage, stained or aged look
Usually reasonably priced
Cleans very easily … Just hold the stamp under running water, and the ink should run right off the stamp.
Downside:
Really only works on paper
I have used it on metal & acrylic, and it wouldnt dry, it only smeared
5) Doodlebug Design Inc
Pros:
I find the KI Memories ink pads to be identical to these in every way
It is a pigment ink pad
Easy to clean … I use a diaper wipe or running water … no need to really scrub it off
It wont stain anything
Cheap
I let my 5 year old work with these ink pads, because I know he can’t ruin any clothes or furniture by using this brand
Downside:
It wont work on anything but paper
6) Tsukinenko Versamagic
Pros:
It is a chalk ink pad
It will stamp on pretty much anything
Looks great on dark paper
Downside:
Can be pricey (depending on where you buy it)
Takes a while to dry
They advertise that it doesn’t have a chalky residue, but I disagree with this
Wash carefully with a diaper wipe … I find that it will stick in the stamp, so it can take awhile to clean
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A layout using inks
There are other stamp pads out there, but these are the ones I have experience with, or tend to buy. If someone were to ask me which ink pad is my ultimate favourite when it comes to working on paper, the answer is easy … A tie between Stampin up & Tim Holtz distress ink. They both have great colours and are clean and easy to work with.
Hope this helps! I look forward to seeing what you all create using stamps and ink.”
For all you out there who have your August Main kit in hand and need some ideas on what to do with you mini-book … here are a few ideas on what you can do with that adorable butterfly album from Chatterbox.
Trace’s mini-book
For the bag:
“I used one of the chipboard butterfly pieces as a template … I placed it on the front cover of the bag, used a marker to mark along it, and then using a needle and thread (I CAN’T sew … lol) I hand stitched the butterfly design onto the cover. Like the August guest designer I too adore spray paint, so I used it to spray black on the front and back covers of the bag.
For the album:
Front cover: I applied a rub on directly over the printed butterfly design and then using a black pen, I outlined the butterfly so it would stand out over the rub on design. I added a lot of doodling to the album … a little bit on each page. I used mini pictures on each page, along with some fact journaling and not much else. The book is so beautiful that I didn’t want to over embellish it. I added a few flowers, thickers, ribbon strips, paper, etc to the inside of the book.”
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JJ’s mini-book
The cover of JJ's mini-book
“You get a mini-album with every main kit at Crazy Daisy Kits, and the August kit was no exception. This month it was a fun mixed media / mixed shape album from Chatterbox, with a butterfly theme that perfectly matched this month’s kit. With such a sweet feminine album, I had to choose pictures of my baby girl (I know, such a chore for a mother, right?) 
On this page I also used a portion of the recipe card from the kit. The little flower and fairy were so cute, I wanted to include them in the album. My butterfly punch also saw some action here, as I used it to make butterflies from the Jenni Bowlin paper.
More acrylic paint, and border punch usage on this next one. The paper is from one of the Pink Paisley sheets. And the flourish? Look familiar, but a little smaller? I actually cut it out from the packaging on the Heidi Swapp stickers that were part of the kit!
Did you know that you can use glimmer mist on transparencies? You just need to allow it a lot more time to dry, but it works great. On the transparent butterfly page next, I used a white Sharpie paint marker, and glimmer mist in “Patina”.
On the next few pages, I incorporated more of the same techniques — glimmer mist, cut outs from the Heidi Swapp packaging, acrylic paint, border punches & rub ons. These are all fun ways to add flat embellishments to a mini-album. I hope you give them a try. I painted the back of this transparent cover with white acrylic paint, and added my title to the front, along with some Distress Stickles in “Broken China”
The inside cover was then a perfect place for a sub-title (P’tite Princesse is french for “Little Princess”). Of course, I had to use the crown rub-on from My Mind’s Eye (included in the kit). I painted the edges of the cover in more of the white acrylic paint. The next page I used Distress Stickles around the entire shape of the butterfly. The “Broken China” colour was a great match with this book.
On this page I painted the edges white again, and tucked some Prima flowers (from my stash) around the photo. I added one of the cute butterfly sequins from the kit, as well. Do you remember that I cut apart a title tag from My Mind’s Eye for an from this kit? I didn’t toss the middle part of the tag. I cut out some of the shapes on the tag, and I’ve used them here in the mini album. The flourish you see below, and the pink flowers on the next pages were all part of that tag.”
Today I stumbled on a pretty cool Web site, A Matter of Memories. What caught my attention was the monthly challenges and inspiration prompts. I’m always looking for inspiration and ways to be inspired, so I liked that Jill of “A Matter of Memories” compiled all sorts of prompts for an entire month. I love her format and I love the ideas she shares. Check it out … I think you’ll like it.
The August Main Kit is sold out! If you want to make sure you get the September kit, you can start pre-ordering it today. If you order at least a 3-month subscription, we’ll send you a goodie bag of scrapbooking supplies. Everyone wants free goodies right? If you already have a subscription, then just email us and ask for at least a 3-month extension on your current subscription … and you too will get the goody bag. All you have you do is place your order before Aug 25.
Now, since it wouldn’t be fair to dangle a free gift in front of you without showing a you a little something, here’s a peak at the September Main Kit!
A sneak peek at the September Main Kit from Crazy Daisy
See great pages. Feel inspired. Get scrappin! Here’s what Trace Geworsky did with the August kit. I have to point out that Trace managed to make nine (9) layouts, a card and a mini book with the August Main kit and still has stuff left over! Talk about a really awesome and crammed-packed kit, if I do say so myself.
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“Good Stuff”
A card by Trace using the August Main kit.
“For this card titled simply “good stuff” I used one of the chipboard butterflies as a stencil and traced it over a folded piece of cardstock, so that after trimming it, it would stand open. I used diamond glaze and some beads I had lying around to decorate the body of the butterfly(unfortunately you can still see some of the diamond glaze on the cardstock). I rolled up two small pieces of scrap patterned paper to use as the antennae.”
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“Relax: This is Fun”
“I just couldn’t think of a creative title for this one, so I just used the words from the paper as my title! I really liked the Pink Paislee stickers in this kit..On the back of the package there was a piece of paper with samples of each sticker, so I trimmed each design out to also use on my projects. I used the “relax…” paper as the flower center.”
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“Fetching Fella”
“I’m really not at all creative when it comes to my titles, so I tend to use rub ons, stickers, etc. to act as my titles.
I wanted to use up some of the numbers from the thickers, so I used them to mark the date from the pictures on my layout. I cut out the little tree design from the paper and adhered it to the matching paper using pop dots.”
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“Our Family”
“I LOVEworking with patterned paper that has a busy print because it “allows” me to keep the layout quite simple. You dont want to add too much to make it overly busy. I added very short journaling, a rub on, sticker, and for my focal point, I added 3 buttons, the AWESOME crochet flower with ribbon..I wanted my focal point to be a different color then the rest of the layout.”
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“Pure Joy”
“Because I don’t often add my own title to a layout, I like to use the alphas for other things, like the date, or as decoration. I used some of the thickers as the centers for the flowers on the paper. I added the friend rub on to a scrap piece of blue paper(from the kit) so it would blend in, but still be noticeable at the same time. I took one of the transparency pages out of the mini album , so I could cut out the green butterfly to use on this page.”
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“enjoy these good memories”
“I had fun using the stickers to form a sentence/title. I loved the journaling paper because it was 4 inches in height same as the picture, so the design worked together. I applied a rub on onto a piece of paper (I cut this paper out that matched the sticker, from the scrap piece) and then adhered a confetti butterfly with a pop dot onto the paper… To make a custom flower around the circle design I trimmed each petal off the fabric flower, and then adhered it pedal by pedal.”
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“ms flirt”
“I like this picture of my puppy because she looks as though she is flirting with the camera … I chose these Jenni Bowlin papers with this picture because I find her paper to be bright and flirty too. I didn’t want my title to really pop out, so I used the white thickers over the white cardstock and blue & white patterned paper. I layered a strip of ribbon with the flower. Using pop dots, I folded and adhered the confetti butterflies over the printed butterflies on the paper.”
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“escape reality”
“I went with a 6×8 picture that had a lot of empty space on it, so that I could add my journaling, and the title directly onto the picture. To make it look as though I tied a piece of ribbon around the paper (and to save ribbon). I cut a strip that fit the width of the paper, and adhered it. Then I tied a know on a second piece of ribbon, and adhered the knot onto the ribbon strip.”
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“before and after”
“I wanted a before and after picture of my son with his haircut, so I used scrap strips of paper to create a large grid design on the background paper. I used a chipboard butterfly from the mini album, applied a rub on to the body and added a button to the center of that design. In the other grid, I layered 2 fabric flowers, with the large button as the flower center.”
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