The Biggest show on earth!

 

 

 

This week's challenge here at The Royal Castle is to

"Make it a 6 x 6 Square"!

 

 

Stampendous Stamp used- "Circus"

 

Graphic 45 Papers

from the "Le Cirque"

collection.

More of their great papers are available here at

The Scrapbooking Queen's

store blog!

 

 

Todays tip:  Always lay out your layered cards before gluing anything down permanently!

It's easier to change things around rather than rip them up later!

 (Trust me on this one!)

 

Have a great week!

~Jan~

One of My Favorite Things...

Over the months that I was not feeling well enough to create,

I missed so many of my favorite stamps and blogs.

 

My Favorite Things was one of those.

Now that I'm feeling much better and am back to my stamps, markers, glue, and papers,

I couldn't wait to jump back into these challenges!

 

The current sketch at MFT:

 

My take on that sketch along with one of my favorite little gals-

 

 

I enjoy making these little fans so much that I may just make a dozen or so just to have around!

And cutting out her little kimono is just too much fun!

 

 

 

 

My hands may still shake a bit when I hold a Copics marker, but that's not going to

stop this girl from making cards and layouts!  Practice, practice, practice....



Fa-la-la-la-la....

Christmas is drawing near, and many of you may have heard that I recently lost my father. This holiday will definately be a difficult one,

but with grown children of my own and a grandson who still believes in Santa,

I am trying to enjoy the season and all that goes with it!

 

 

I put up my tree this weekend, including my Dad's Lionel train set, and felt my family room fireplace needed a bit of the traditional mood,
so I made this chipboard stocking banner.

 

Starting with a KaiserKraft mini board kit, I covered the stocking shapes with
DCWV

"Heirloom Christmas" papers.
I then cut out dozens of poinsettia blooms with my Spellbinders die.  It made the process so fast and easy!

The chipboard letters were old Colorbok ones I'd hung onto for years, simply painting and glittering them with Stampendous, "Red Tinsel" embossing powder.
 

 

 

                                                                

 



It's not much,but I intend to add more before the 23rd.
 

Perhaps some pots of poinsetties along the bottom the fireplace!

 



Vintage Holiday House...

I don't know if anyone likes vintage as much as I do...

No, I'm sure some of you do!

 

So, I also know that you are going to love these new

DCWV

Christmas papers as much as I do!

Old vintage images on kraft paper, soft holiday colors...

I love everything about this stack!

 

  

 

 

The beautiful house image is printed directly onto the paper and surrounded by this gorgeous gold embossed frame. Along with swirls, snowflakes, and borders in gold, these papers make your holiday cards so easy to make!

 

I also had to grab some Blue Moon Beads for my bow embellishment!

Aren't those yummy?

 

 

Just wait until you see the other perfectly vintage images on these pages!

Santa, Christmas trees, gifts, the list goes on...

this is my favorite stack of the season...well, so far...  lol!

 

"The Traditional Holiday" is available at Michael's now!

Entered in the "Homeward Bound" challenge at
"Scrap It With A Song..."

 

 



I wish it WOULD snow!

DCWV

has a beautiful new paper called

"Arctic Wishes"

 and all the components for making your holiday projects
are in there!

 

 

 

The tree graphics are terrific as a background for a modern tree (like this one by Stampendous) or a realistic Christmas tree stamp, which we all have in our stashes!

 

Here in Phoenix, we won't see snow except on our cards and televisions.

This makes this stack even more special!

Pick yours up at JoAnn's now!

 

And, since I love their stamps and Essentials, I entered this in the monthly challenge at STAMPENDOUS!

Check it out!



Scor-Pal is my pal!

Welcome to the

DCWV and Scor-Pal Hop!

 

Today I am demonstrating how my Scor-Pal score board makes my card making so easy!

 

Rather than just a simple gate-fold card, I like to occasionally throw in a

double gate-fold box card.

 

This can be as thin as 1/4 inch, which allows for you to add small dimensional elements to the inside sentiment/decoration of your project!

 

"Autumn Splendor"

 

First, accurately scoring and cutting your 12 x 12 pattern paper is key.

For this simple card layout,

I use one sheet of two-sided paper as both my base AND pretty background for my card.

This is also where using a very heavy, high-grade paper is important.

DCWV stacks are such quality products that they serve perfectly for these projects.

 

Wrong side up, score 3" from all four sides.

Then cut out the corners and

follow up by scoring 1/4 inch from the first scores...

towards the outer edge of your paper.

That's the easiest, fastest way for me to do it.

 

This will make a 1/4" THICK card when folded.

 

I hope you can see it in this photo.

 

This will leave the front flaps about 1/2" apart when closing the card. I either leave this as is and add some eyelets to the flaps and tie with ribbon,

OR

do as I did with this card, and add several layers of matching paper including punched scalloped layers, and ribbon to lengthen the front top flap.

 

 

The little Blue Moon metal pendant was hung from the bow, with a resin flower glued to its' center.

 

 

 

For the inside, I used Scor-Tape to adhere pattern paper.

This holds so well, and instantly! No waiting for glue to dry!

 

 

The leaves were cut from the Autumn Melody paper with my Cricut and the sentiment is one I found on the web.

Spellbinder Labels Nine was perfect to showcase my sentiment!

And notice that the 1/4" depth gives me the option of adding a bit of dimension to my card! You could add as much or as little as you like!

 

 

These cards could be saved and displayed as "shadow boxes" by your recipients.

 

 

 

Candle is for display only!

Never light a candle near paper!

 

Hope you enjoyed my simple tutorial and will start going "out of the box"

with your card projects!

 

 Enjoy the rest of the hop,
and please leave commetns as you go!



Showcasing "Bouquet de Fleur" by DCWV!

My layouts this month

are made with the luscious new stacks from

DCWV

"Bouquet de Fleur",

and, hopefully, demonstrates how very versatile this stack is!

 

My first page is a very sweet and "girly" layout!

 

 

I fussy-cut the pink swirls from the pattern paper.

I wanted to take the elements of the adorable photos and bring them into my colors and embellishments. Hence, the tulle ruffled ribbon, quilt-like squares of pattern papers, and the large purple resin flower. The baby's momma is always saying how quickly the time goes by with her little ones, so I added the sweet, little clockface charm from the

Blue Moon Beads', "Trinket Shoppe" collection.

 

 

 

You can find the papers and the charms at your local Michael's.

 

The rhinestone swirls are from my Zva stash,

and the white satin flowers I've had for years.
 

 

My second layout is a more masculine one 

of her older child.

 

 

It is so hard for me to look at these photos and not be a little sad...

I babysat this adorable little boy from the time he was 3 months old until he was 16 months old. I shared with him learning to crawl, talk, walk, and felt as close to him as my own grandson.

He is getting so grown-up now.  He still calls me "Nanna Jan", and we get together as often as time allows.  How I envy my friend (their Momma) being able to stay home with these two precious children. They really are angels!

 

This stack has so many options, as you can see by these pages.

The plaid lent itself perfectly with the pattern on the tie,

and the green fussy-cut leaves fit well with the outdoor scene,

along with the jute twine and silk leaves.

Again, to add to the "time passing quickly" theme, I hung a small clock face from the same Blue Moon collection on the layout.

 

I am slowly getting back into scrapbooking the photos that I hold dear to me, and will surely start doing more if I continue to receive gorgeous photos like these on a regular basis!  Cards are fun, but the memories that these will preserve are priceless!
 

 

Thanks for letting me share with you today!

Now, time to start making your own memories!

And DCWV papers are the best place to begin!



Winter Blues

Brrrrr!

 

 

It's so easy for me to joke about the freezing weather sitting here in 100 degrees,

but come next Spring, I'll get pleanty of teasing about how I'm sweatin' it out!

 

 

The sketch challenge at

Craft's Meow

 this week is a terrific one!

And they are taking part in the "Hope You Can Cling To Challenge"

over at SplitcoastStampers! 

Of course, it wasn't until I had my sketch card finished that I saw that!

Now I get to make a few more cards during the course of October

for the challenge at Splitcoast!

 

 

I haven't had this TCM stamp long, and this is my first chance at inking it up!

"Let it Snow"

And, rather than just straight cutting the edges of my background paper, I chose to

wiggle the scissors around a bit. All it did was make my paper look crooked. 

Next time, it's paper cutter only!

 

Well, I love the little snowman image, and hopefully, that will be the main

focus when a recipient gets this card!

I plan on sending this, along with a few others before the end of the month,

to the MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

I plan on going through my box of previously completed cards and throwing those in the package, also.

This is something we can all do to help the cause and clean up all these cards we tend to "accumulate" over time.

If they've been posted before, no reposting and entering the contest with each!

Just remember, this is for the cancer patients!

 

Thanks for visiting me today,

and please, it's Breast Cancer Awareness month!

Do something to help your fellow BFF's,  "breast friends forever"!

 

~Jan~

 



DCWV October Card Challenge!

I LOVE it when a new card sketch is posted on DCWV!

Not only are they my favorite papers,

but their challenges are so much fun!

 

I like that not one, not two,

but 10 Top projects in each category (layouts and cards)

are chosen to showcase on the blog!

Yes, only one winner from each category,

but the biggest thrill is being hand-picked as a Top 10!

 

 

What is most intriquing about this card isn't just those yummy papers,

but the way it SMELLS when the recipient opens the envelope!

 

 

Papers: DCWV, "Wild Splendor"

Die: Spellbinder, "Floral Flourishes" (say that 3 times fast!)

Rhinestones: Zva Creations

Sentiment:  Fiskars, "Thank You" Clear Stamps

 

This card is also entered into the challenge at Simon Says Stamps, where they ask for "Glimmer and Sparkle" this week!

See that sparkly, shimmery pumpkin?

Well, it actually SMELLS like pumpkin pie spice!

How did I do that without burning the spices into the embossing powder and ruining the delicious smell wafting from the card?

 

Easy!

First, determine what image you want to use.

Next, gather together the spices that will best bring out the "personality" of that image.

 

You will need a chunkier embossing powder, something that will melt and HOLD the spices to the card.  I also included some crushed glass glitter in my mix!

 

 

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a scrap piece of heavy cardstock.

I generally use white so that my shapes can be traced or stamped onto the back side and cut out after melting.

 

Now, very important...  Holding the paper far enough ABOVE your heat gun so as not to burn the paper or your fingers, heat from the underside slowly until all of the embossing powders have "melded" the mixture together. 

Let cool completely, then cut as desired.

 

The smell of the spices will remain in the "melted goo",

and allow you to attach them to your project. 

I have found that by heating it this way, the aroma stays with the image much longer than any other way I've tried.

 

I DO hope you try this!

My friends and family love it when they recieve

"Scent-iment" cards!

 

Follow Me or Subscribe to my email alerts,

because I will be posting another great scented idea later this month!

 

PS:  My scrap room STILL has the wonderful aroma of a baking pumpkin pie!

 

 

 

 

 

 



DYSU - Challenge #90

 

Meljen's Designs

* Winner's Choice of 4 Images

My Heart Pieces

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

The Stamping Boutique 

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

Here's my card using one of the images from

My Heart Pieces.

 

What a sweet little gal!

 

This image gave me the perfect opportunity to texture with my Copics and to use the heat embossing technique that I've come to love so much!

 

 

 

 

A bit of Glossy Accents on the mirror,

and Zva black rhinestone swirls finish her off.

 

 

If you've been following my blog, you know that I have been making my backgrounds a little more interesting by dry embossing, sanding the color-core cardstock,

and then heat embossing with clear powder over the entire surface.

You can see my other projects using this technique

 here (without the dry embossing)

and here!

I just can't get enough!

 

Check out the rest of the Design Team's projects at

the DYSU? Challenge Blog!

 

Supplies:

Papers:  DCWV, "All About Girls" Matstack

Die: Cuttlebug, "Wicker Weave"

Twine: The Twinery

Bling: Zva Creations

Very Vintage Christmas...

I love that this new
Stampendous, "Vintage Santa"
 image looks exactly like those I recall from my childhood.

I remember the holiday cards my family recieved in the 50's were very much like this,

and when I went online to look at vintage cards, it brought back so many memories !
 

  

I colored the Jumbo Cling "Vintage Santa"

that I had printed on light kraft paper with Copics.

With the teensy, tiny gold rhinestones, there is just enough sparkle to add a glitsy, holiday feel.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment from the

"Christmas Wishes" set.

 

The border was punched out of kraft, and the rhinestones attached to that, also.

I like that I kept it simple and didn't over-layer or over-embellish the card.
I kept telling myself to KEEP IT SIMPLE.
I really like the result!

 

This stamp is SOLD OUT but will be back on the shelves after September 11!
 

 



DYSU Challenge #78 - Clouds!

Our sponsors this week:
Crafty Sentiments - http://craftysentimentsdesigns.co.uk/
* Winner's Choice of 4 Images



The Paper Shelter - http://www.thepapershelter.com/
* $20 Gift Certificate



Gecko Galz - http://www.geckogalz.com/
* Entire July Collection (The Digital Paper Pack "Great Adventures", 6 different collage sets including Vintage Travels & Wild West dominos, and a digital stamp set "Mermaids Garden" a prize pack worth $30)


     This was a tough one because I was so excited choosing my "Gecko Galz" image,

that I totally blocked out the fact that our challenge was to, in some way, incorporate "blue skies" or clouds!  There have been a few times I have gotten a card started and realized that, in the excitement of using an image, paper or color,
 I've forgotten to consider the challenge requirement.
At that point, you just have to laugh and start over! 

Thankfully, nothing was glued down when I decided to go with the
heat embossed clouds.

This card was made to commemorate the U.S.'s fight for freedom

and why we celebrate July 4th.

I usually like to stay away from the typical bright red, white, and blue, but these muted papers and the subtle, vintage image won me over!

These Gecko Galz sheets are so beautiful, I want them all!

And if you want to know how the little banner was made, I printed the image a second time much larger, and cut the banner flags from a section of the printed image!

I had, only yesterday, received these little flowers from Wendy Robinson in a prize box from a Zva blog hop! Perfect timing, Wendy! I tinted them with my Copics to coordinate with  the print and quickly had a sweet embellishment!

Have a wonderful weekend and, for those of you stateside,
have a fun and safe upcoming
Fourth of July 
celebration!