Fabulous Fundamental: Matching Borders

Are you in love with all the different border punch designs available? I know I am!

Recently I created a 2 page layout where I wanted my border to flow from the first page to the second page with the design flowing freely from the first page to the second. And guess what? It is so easy to do!

Let me share it with you here.

First, you will need the joining paper strips and the border punch of your choice. In the picture below, I am using the EK Success border punch that cuts and embosses the design.

Then stack the strips with one strip facing right side up and the other with the back side up. Line the stack of paper up in the middle of the design. Refer to my picture below. (It is important to line the paper strips in the middle of the design as it will make piecing the strips together easier.)

Finish punching the rest of the strip.

Flip the wrong side strip over and piece with the right side strip. Voila! Now the strips line up beautifully and will flow perfectly from the first page to the second page. (Note that I purposely have 2 different sides on my strips for demonstration purposes only.)

Hope you like my tip!

Fabulous Fundamental: Let's Talk Adhesive!

Let's talk adhesive! Over the past few weeks, I have chatted about adhesive to various scrappy friends. What I have realized is not all glue is created equal...and if I look into my scrappy supplies, I have a diverse selection! There is no one glue fits all scenario at my house!

I wanted to share my favorites and what I use them for...

Tombow Mono Liquid Glue: My personal favorite liquid glue. Why? It cleans up easily with water; it does not wrinkle or destroy the paper I am adhering; it works on wood, fabric and paper and it lasts a long time. Fabulous value!


Tsukineko - The Essential Glue: I love the glue itself and the glue pad. This duo is perfect for foiling and glittering detailed images on your projects.

Clearsnap - Glue Gloss: OK I'll admit it - I bought this glue initially because it is just SO darn cute! It has however become a staple in my stash. The sweet mascara like applicator is perfect for adhering light weight ribbon and twine. I keep a tube in my toolbox at all times!

Stix2 Glue Gun Refills or the Glue Glider: This is the work horse of my scrappy escapades. I use this glue 90% of the time on my projects.

Dotto Dots - Repositionable: So I must have commitment issues but this repositionable dotto dots is a must for me. As I work, I like to temporarily tack down my work and this fantastic product does the trick. Dotto dots is a pre-ordered item so let Sandy know if you are interested. For me, there is nothing else!

So there you have it, my faves? And best of all, they can all be found in the store, just my girl, Sandy:-)

Fabulous Fundamental: Combining Pattern Paper

Do you love pattern paper? I adore pattern paper, so much so that I have amassed quite a collection! As well, I find it hard to choose which pattern paper to use on a project when there are oh so many to choose from! So rather than choosing, I have taken a more "collaborative" approach...a little of everything! LOL

Here are my primary governing principles for using multiple pieces of pattern paper on a project-

"All in moderation" - when I use multiple pieces of pattern paper, I use small amounts of the various papers so the project does not look confused and overwhelming. I carefully craft my layout so that the photos take centre stage and the pattern papers complement the photos. 

"Same but different" - to blend the various pattern papers in a pleasing manner, I choose hues and patterns that have the same value, so no one paper or pattern dominates.

 

"Why invent the wheel?" - scrapbooking time is precious in my house. As such, I do not want to spend precious time finding the perfect coordinating pattern papers so I use manufacturer collections as much as possible. They are brilliant! But better yet...about 98% of my layouts are created using the SSZ monthly kits; Sandy is genius!

Now let me give you an example or two!

Can you spot the 5 different pattern papers from October Afternoon in this layout?

Or the 7 Graphic45 pattern papers here?

Or the 6 Authentique pattern papers in this layout? (This is one of my all time favorite SSZ monthly kits! Just wanted to share that tidbit too!!)

How many pieces of pattern paper do you use on your projects?

Fabulous Fundamental: Gift Wrapping Ideas

Today I am starting a series on interesting gift wrapping ideas using your scrappy supplies!

First up is a series of tags made with the dregs of a Scrap Shotz kit!

Supplies:  Tag base (Staples); Fancy Pants (pattern paper); Scenic Route (chipboard stars); Pink Paislee (pixie stix glitter); Tattered Angels glimmer mist (Pearl); American Crafts (rub ons); garland (source unknown); ribbon (May Arts)

Now what about using the tag for a gift bag? That bag is from My Minds Eye and a former add-on to a Scrap Shotz monthly kit.  Same supplies as above.

My gift bag is filled with homemade nuts and bolts - yum! I happen to have 3 more sheets so I'll be filling them with Nuts and Bolts and gingersnaps for my neighbours this year. 

I hope you have been inspired and will check back for more ideas!

Fabulous Fundamental: Mixing Manufacturers

If you are like me, you have little bits and pieces of paper, photos, chipboard, alphas and so on winking at you from your desk. Of course all these pieces are from different manufacturers!

Well, I decided to do something about those bits (mostly so I would not have to re-file them! :-) ) Usually I find it quicker and easier to create with a specific manufacturer line but today I threw caution to the wind!

Here is my very quick layout using Pink Paislee, Imaginesce and American Crafts!

Supplies:  Pink Paislee (pattern paper, die cuts); Imaginesce (chipboard); American Crafts (rub ons, alphas, pen), ribbon (source unknown), googly eyes (source unknown)

So I encourage you to mix and match between manufacturers - you may be surprised by the results (like I was!)

Fabulous Fundamental - Scripted Flowers

Awhile ago,  I looked at my stash the other day in search of THE perfect flower accent. Do you think I could find one??? No! It didn't have the script I felt would be SO complementary to my layout nor did I have the right colour. So what is a girl to do??? Yup, make one! :-)

So I thought I would share how to make my version of a scripted flower!

Start with a Prima flower - any colour will do depending on the glimmer mist you choose - in my case, this little flower was already sitting on my desk smiling at me :-)

Then stamp a petite but simple design directly onto your flower. I used Memento ink but Staz On would certainly work too! Dye based inks do not work as well with this project as they tend to react with the spray mists.

Let the stamped flower dry. 

Choose your mists and gently mist over the stamped flower.

Dry thoroughly.

Adorn as desired. Here I dipped a brad into some Tattered Angels glam as I did not have any red brads for the centre.

Hope you enjoyed our Fabulous Fundamental. All supplies are available from the Scrap Shotz store.

Fabulous Fundamental - The Sew Easy

Whoo hoo! Today we have a double-double (for all you Tim Horton fans!!!) - a Roving Reporter post from Lynnette Parent and a Fabulous Fundamental on the Sew Easy tool. This hot tool is a must-have in a scrapbooker and cardmaker's toolkit. Read onwards to read Lynnette's article.

I've always loved the look of stitching on layouts but have never had the urge to pull out my sewing machine and give it a whirl. I thought it would be way too much hassle to deal with my very heavy machine. And what if, after spending hours on a layout, I wreck it by sewing crookedly?!

Then I saw the Sew Easy. I immediately thought this simple little tool could finally be what I was looking for.

I went whole hog and purchased the handle, seven heads, extra needles, the pad and the red thread package. I gave it to myself for Christmas :-)

Here are a few things I've figured out:

- It is very easy to keep a straight line with the heads. I had thought it might be tricky but it really isn't.

- The heads are very easy to change and they lock in securely.

- You can use each head for at least 3 different looking stitches - very cool.

- You should use their custom mat as it keeps the points sharp. And the mat is over 12 inches long so you can go end to end on your layout without needing to move it.

- With some paper, if you push too hard, you make a crease and with others, if you don't push hard enough, you won't perforate the paper. It takes a little practice.

- Bazzill doesn't perforate well.

- I've been using up old embroidery floss (3 strands at a time). The Sew Easy thread looks nice too.

- You can use a pen instead of thread to do the "stitching".

On this layout I drew pencil lines with a ruler and used the simple single stitch head to punch the holes. I found it fairly easy to lift the head up and place it down again at the corners so I could match up the stitches.

I used the scalloped edge head for this one. As there are TWO layers of Bazzill here, there was no way the holes were going to perforate all the way through. I used the head more to MARK the placement of the holes and then used my piercing tool to actually make the holes. It only took a few extra moments for this step.

I finished the scallop off by putting a brad on each point.

Here is a card I made using the starburst head. I didn't NEED to use the piercing tool but it is easier to sew if the holes are larger.

 Another very simple card.

With this layout I just wanted a touch of stitching that would blend with the colours of the photos. I found it a little difficult to get the holes to mark on the plaid paper AND the cardstock and had to go over it twice. I also had to use the piercing tool as there are two layers of cardstock.

This time I wanted to see if I could easily follow a curved edge. I traced the heart and then used the simple stitch head. It was a little harder to stay right on the pencil line but in the end I think it turned out great. I did each side of the heart differently so you can see how it looks with the stitches open and closed.

When I took the heads out of their packaging I kept each cardboard insert as they have samples of the different stitching you can do with each head. I put the heads in a little tin and keep everything together with an elastic band. I am considering purchasing the new case they came out with though.

Chloe Hill came up with this VERY innovative way to store her Sew Easy and Brad maker. I think it is so cool. If I can find a place in my scraproom I may do this!

All in all, I think the Sew Easy is a great investment and a tool that you can use over and over. They recently came out with 8 new heads and all kinds of new threads so I can see where my scrapbooking dollars will be going!

Fabulous Fundamental - Distressing Part 3

This is the last of a 3 part series where the lovely Laura has dispelled all myths on distressing. I have learned so much from Laura over these past few weeks - thank you!

Without further adieu...

To create the pleated paper destressing you will need a piece of paper, your ink, a water spritzer, and some paper towels.

 

 

After inking and edge distressing,

 

 

get the corner of your paper wet using your spritzer. You may want to put your paper towels underneath.

 

Wet enough of the area to accomplish your desired look...or how ever mush you wish to pleat.

 

Using your fingers pinch the paper lightly together until you achieve your desired look. Do not pull too hard or you may rip the paper. I like the look of ripped paper but you may not. 

  

Continue pinching and pleating until you like what you see.

 

You can leave it to dry or use your heat gun to dry it.

 

On the following layout I used the pleating technique in the corner.

 On this one I pinched and pleated on both ends.

  

And on this last one I pinched and pleated a few layers

 

 

Thank you Laura - your work is SO inspiring!

Fabulous Fundamental - Distressing Part 2

Before Christmas. I showcased the first of a 3 part series on Design Team Member, Laura Gilhuly's distressing secrets. Here is the second in the series.


Another cool technique is crumpling; that is, taking a piece of paper, crumple it into a ball, unroll and recrumple a different way. (Editor's Note: Is it really that easy????) 

Gently and carefully uncrumple.

Using your ink pad,  directly and gently rub it all over your paper.

It will look something  like...

Add another ink color.

You could stop here. Your project would have plenty of texture and be amazing!

But if you like your paper a little flatter, cover with a white tea towel or paper towel and iron on a med setting until your paper is flat.

It will look something like this....

Now you could go even further if you wish and use your edge distresser and distress the edges.

Don't worry about ripping your papers. If you do, it adds character; the harder you push the more distressed. If you rub your edge distresser back and forth it will be more of a curled edge. If you go in one direction your paper will be more shredded or frayed.

This layout I used inking and my edge distresser.

For this one I used the crumpling and inking techniques

Thank you Laura for sharing your design secrets with us! 

Fabulous Fundamental - Distressing Part 1

There are so many wonderful techniques in scrapbooking and cardmaking. One of the techniques that I wish I could successfully master is Distressing! Fortunately, Design Team member Laura Gilhuly is an expert at it and has graciously prepared a 3-part series to share her secrets! Thank you Laura!

I love to distress my projects.....things never seem done to me until I have inked them....so I thought that would be were I would start....INKING!

Grab a piece of paper, your favorite ink pad and a make up sponge or ink applicator.

There are different ways to ink...you can use the ink pad.

And your edge will look like this

If you would like to accent your edges, run your ink pad at a 90 degree angle to darken all the edges.

My favourite way is to use a make up sponge...

Press your sponge onto your ink pad and get it quite inky (is that a word? lol)
Apply the sponge directly onto the paper pulling away

It will look like this...

For a darker and more dramatic look, lay your paper on a hard surface with a scrap paper showing over the edge. saturate your make up sponge and while pressing down pull back on the sponge.

You can control your width of distressing....

in the end your inking could look like this

Thank you Laura! Absolutely stunning!  I am going to give this a whirl!