Monday, April 30, 2012

Stencils

Hi! Monday morning with Marlene.  I recently obtained four new stencils to play with, three are 12 x 12 and the other is 6 x 6. In the past, I have used paint and/or spray mist and thought it was time to start experimenting with different materials to leave my mark. 
The first example uses three different materials.  Using the 6 x 6 animal print template, I used black paint on white paper for the zebra stripes.  The tiger stripes were done by blending three shades of orange colored pencils using the open space of the template.  Then I removed the template and colored in the negative space with black.  For the next step, I blended the orange shades with odorless mineral spirits on a Q-tip and allowed it to dry.  Blending the black was done with a separate Q-tip making sure to leave some of the original white showing.  It is easy to mix the colors in undesired places so it is best to take your time with this step.
The background was done with a chain link fence 12 x 12 template.  I placed the template on grey cardstock and with  a direct ink pad to paper technique, I applied three different shades of green.  I used Staz On ink so the templates are permanently stained, but for my uses that won't matter.  

Quite frankly, I was stunned by the results on my next example.  I bought the template as a buy two get one free sale and wondered if I would ever use it.  Beginning with kraft paper and using a heavy hand, dark brown chalk filled in the template.  To keep the chalk from smearing a light coat of clear acrylic paint was applied and allowed to dry. 

I really liked the result and thought it would be a good match for a vintage page.

Stencils can be quite versatile depending on the materials you use.  I find that taping the outside of the stencil to secure it over the paper helps keep all of the elements in place and I get better results.  Give it a try.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Trend Report - Part 2

Hey everyone! It's Pam again with the second half of the trend report. For the first half click here. I am going to be going over even more trends in the industry.

POLAROIDS
This is such a fun happy trend. It reminds me of the 70's when they were super popular. Polaroids are making a huge impact on scrapbookers. There are a lot of products now which have polaroids as well as creating faux polaroids.

"Snapshot of You" by Sara Zenger

 "What a Long Day" by Nancy Keslin"

DOILIES
This is a neat trend happening in the scrap world. I remember my grandma used to have doilies on her dining room table and I loved them. Using doilies can be quite versatile. Check out some of these examples.

"You are My Sunshine" by Vicky Alberto

"C'est Tres Magnifique" by Vicky Alberto

 "How Much are Those Doggies" by Lisa Blastick

"Our Family" by Cathy Dippolito

BLINGED UP PAGES
Bling made its way into the trends of the scrapbook scene a few years ago and has been here since. There are lots of ways to use blinged up pages. They are fun and versatile and add a really cool look!

"Lucky to Be Friends" by Pam Callaghan

"Gearing Up" by Lisa Blastick

SIMPLE PAGES
Simple pages are very popular right now. Using white space has been around but is being seen more and more in scrapbook pages in many galleries.  Give this trend a try if you are a simple scrapper!

"Reach for Your Dream" by Nancy Keslin

MISTING
This is one trend I haven't used yet, but is huge in the scrap world. There are tons of colors for mists and templates that you can use them for. Scrappers are also just spraying them randomly on their pages.

"Let's Roll" by Nancy Keslin

"First Holy Communion" by Lisa Blastick

DIE CUT CONNECTED TITLES
I really love this trend. There are so many great die cut machines that create connected titles. This makes me want to buy one just to get that amazing look.

"Let the Good Times Roll" by Marlene Murphy

STITCHING
Stitching on pages has been around for years and has never gone away. That is why I am still calling it a popular trend. The cool thing is now you can do faux stitching with new machines and gadgets along with the traditional stitching.

Card by Marlene Murpy using Sew Easy Tool



"Breakfast With Friends" by Nancy Keslin

"Peek-a-Boo" by Vicky Alberto using Sew Easy

"Always" by Lisa Blastick using pen faux stitching


"I Do" by Marlene Murphy


WINGED THINGS
I love using winged things especially butterflies on my pages! This trend is really pretty and can be used on anything from graphic to whimsical pages. Check out these examples!

"Sugar and Spice" by Nancy Keslin

"Baby Blue" by Vicky Alberto

"A Little Bird Told Me" by Marlene Murphy

"Love Birds" by Lisa Blastick


I hope you have enjoyed part 1 and part 2 of the trend report!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Designer Showcase: Newborns and Babies

Welcome to this week's Designer Showcase. Today we are sharing newborn and baby projects.  It's Cathy here to host this weeks showcase for you.


Marlene certainly turned the memory of a colicky baby into a very happy page. The lovely color combination and sweet details really contrast the crying baby and "waaah!" title!!  The punched borders throughout the page really add a lot of dimension and texture.


Cindy created this 2 page spread with some of her favorite photos from the birth of her son.  I love the way she offset the the 3 photos on the far side. It really makes her favorite photo on the left stand out even more. It's really neat how she used the 3 brads on each page, like the 3 people in their growing family.


Nancy created this really sweet page. The large scallop edge to the designer paper wraps around the edges of the page, like the snuggling bunting wrapped around the newborn baby.  I love the big flower pieces mixed with the small butterflies and trim.  Those soft colors remind me of a snuggly baby blanket too!



Vicky created this masterpiece.  What a darling photo, she softly finished the edges of the photo to help it blend into the background.  The flowers and lace and pretty designed paper are almost as precious as the "caress" gesture captured in her photo.


This is a card that I created several years ago.  I made it using plain cardstock, tulle, lace trim and fabric flowers.  I have the template available on my blog. You can grab it here.





Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A Template and Sketch with more wavy lines!

Hi, this is Dolores and I am going to share a fun template and sketch I created recently that has a whole side of wavy lines to play up those pretty papers you have stashed away.  I love patterned paper and often have fun mixing things up on layouts when I can't choose just one paper for a background.  With this layout I created an interesting look and got to use multiple papers!  Here's my page.


As you can see I have 5 different papers working together on this page.  A background pattern and then 4 other papers creating my waves on the right side.  I created this page using a really beautiful kit by Siamese Studio called Romance a Paris.  It's part of the Grab-A-Byte offering at ScrapbookBytes this month.  Here is what I used, the papers, elements and clusters.  Below is my sketch.


The wavy side is really made up of just one shape that I have layered on top of one another staring at the bottom and spacing it so that I have 10 separate pieces of paper.  Here is the basic wave shape that you can trace if you are a paper scrapbooker.
For our digital scrapbookers I have a template of the page that I created using PhotoShop CS5.  You can download if from either of the file sharing sites below.

MediaFire: ds-template-16.psd

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!



Monday, April 23, 2012

Getting Organized

Hi everyone, Nancy here today to share with you a bit how I have been organizing my supplies.  A few weeks ago I decided to get organized with my Distress Inks, stains and paints.  I bought a new case and lots of foam applicators.
When moving all my Distress Inks into the case, I realized that I don't even really know what half the colors are (other than the obvious...blue, brown, pink).  So, I decided to make myself a little swatch book.
I stamped with each color, inked one edge with a foam applicator and the bottom edge straight from the ink pad.  This allowed me to see the different intensities available with each color.  Then, if I had the crackle paint or stain I added a bit of that to the top.  A few colors I even had the Distress Stickles for so I added those as well.  Now I know exactly what colors I have and what they look like (and what colors I still need...hee hee).  I am really hoping this helps me not buy any more duplicates and reminds me to use all the colors I have.

I hope this helps you get more organized.  I think my mists are next.

Hugs.

Nancy


Friday, April 20, 2012

Scrapbook Trend Report - Part 1

It's Pam here your trend reporter for the next two weeks! The contributors and I thought it would be fun to share some of the best trends out there right now in the scrapping world and some examples of them. I love learning about fashion trends, so naturally scrapbook trends peak my interest. so let's get started!

Pennants and Banners
The first trend that I absolutely love are banners and pennants. When I first saw banners I thought they would be too complicated for my scrapping style, but then I realized that they are quite easy. I also enjoy making pennants and hanging them on my pages! Here are a few examples of them.

"Swim" by Pam Callaghan using pennants (going sideways)

"Fun" by Nancy Keslin using banners

"Fly High" by Pam Callaghan using pennants (sideways) and a banner

Beautiful Dimensional Floral Layouts
Don't you just love pages with flowers and gorgeous designs? I sure do! The trend of dimensional flowers is one that is super hot right now. There are so many great flowers to buy now and they go great paired with all kinds of patterned papers. Here are a few examples.

"Darling" by Vicky Alberto

"Always Together by Nancy Keslin

"How Much are Those Doggies in the Window" by Lisa Blastick

Hexagon Shapes
Hexagon or honeycombs are really popular right now. Scrapbookers are creating them from scratch and buying paper with hexagons. I must admit, I haven't tried this yet, but I am really excited to try it! There are so many ways to use it, check out how two of the contributors used them.

"Happiness Is" by Nancy Keslin

"Happy Day" by Sara Zenger

Large Photos
This trend seems to come and go. Large photos were super popular a few years ago and now they are making a comeback! Digital scrapbookers are using this in their digital templates along with traditional scrappers using it on paper.

"Beach Week" by Cathy Dippolito

"Lake Superior" by Marlene Murphy

Headbands
Another super cool trend is headbands. Scrapbookers are using their supplies to create some really pretty headbands. This is made more convenient by all of the pretty floral vintage supplies that are for sale.

 Headband created by Vicky Alberto

Chevrons
What a cool trend chevrons are. The sort of retro zigzag pattern has made its way into so many great papers and embellishments. Scrapbookers are even making their own chevrons using different patterned papers as you will see in the example below.

"Teen" by Nancy Keslin

Card by Cathy Dippolito

"Central Park" by Pam Callaghan

Woodgrain Patterns 
Woodgrain is really making its way into the scrapbook paper world. There are so many totally cool papers with a woodgrain background to them. It is a trend that a few companies did back in the day and it is making its way back in.

"You Make My Heart Sing" by Sara Zenger

"Little Cowgirl" by Lisa Blastick

"Welcome to Wildwood Crest" by Cathy Dippolito


8. Mustaches
Another really cool trend is mustaches. They just make me smile when I see them. You can find them in a bunch of products now to add a super fun look to your page.

"My Stache" by Nancy Keslin

Birdcages
This next trend is really beautiful. I really love the way birdcages look and they are all the rage right now. They really add such an elegant element to the pages. Check these projects out to see some great birdcage inspiration!

Card by Vicky Alberto

"Dollface" by Nancy Keslin


Check back next week for more trends in the scrapbook world :)