Please note that every challenge in this blog can be entered with any form of art work, not just cards. Themes may have to be slighly altered, but as long as they represent the general idea, feel free to enter.

Monday, July 25, 2011

3D CHALLENGE - Design Team Projects

Hello Fellow Scrapbookers! We have a new Monday Challenge with some 3-Dimesional inspired projects from our wonderful Design Team!

Kathy's Lamp Shade
Before

After

Karen's 3D Card
Outside

Inside

Shannon's Bird Cage
View 1

View 2

Anna's 3D Picture Frame
Front

Back

Teresa's Framed Collage

We hope this has inspired your creativity. Post your 3D project through the linky tool at the bottom of this post and you will be entered into a drawing for a prize! Deadline for all entries is Sunday, August 14 11:59pm PDT.

ANNA

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Today is Technique Thursday

Winner of the SBP Thursday Technique is:  Randomly-generated #2.  That's Karen!  Expect a little something special in the mail, Karen, and thanks for sharing your crafting tip!

Today is Technique Thursday, but I am sitting in a hospital room (photo is of view from his room), trying to be a comfort for my adult single son, whose life has taken a shortcut to disappointment.  While at weekend drill for his Army Reserves commitment, he was struck with wracking cramps and transported to the ER (across the street, thank God).  He awoke from surgery last night a little lighter, losing about a foot of his colon, which had twisted and caused a blockage.  Luckily, they caught it before it could cause lasting damage or become perforated and poison his whole system.  However, he lost his place in a future deployment to which he was looking forward.
So, for today's technique, we turn to our trusty bloggers, whose creativity, experience and ideas have given much improvement to our crafting lives.  We want to here about some technique, tip or suggestion that has saved you time, money, space, or, in my case, worry and stress. 
Here's mine:
When I craft, I am so focused on creating, that my worries meet an invisible force field that cannot enter my "sanity zone".  This is enhanced by playing my iPod and closing the door, so that I create not only projects, but my own little Zen den.  A very simple yet very effective way to "save" my sanity.
Tell us your technique, whether it's organizational, frugally-conscious, alternative supply usage, or just plain comforting, relaxing or productive.
Each entry will go into the random generator for a prize that's sure to please the craftiest!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Summer Reads Bring New Challenge

An ideal summer for me would be time to sit out in the sun, a nice breeze to cool me off, sipping a Diet Coke and relaxing with a great book.
There are some great reads out there for this summer. I just finished Carol Higgins Clark's book Wrecked, which I had thought was her latest one, but learned there's one more now, Mobbed. I love her mysteries, she has such a great sense of humor and timing, and her books always have a fun twist to them.
So for this week's challenge: A good read deserves a great bookmark. My book mark is a part of the card, whose edge has been scored for easy tear-off,  I stamped and colored a Whiff of Joy image, Melinda Reading Book, with Copics. I started with a piece of cardstock measuring 5.5"x10.5", and scored it at 4.25" and 8.5". After embellishing the card inside and out, I folded in the 2" piece, which became my bookmark, first, then folded my card in half. I like the summery colors I used, and can't wait to gift a good friend witht his card and bookmark!
Now it's your turn.  Make a bookmark, any style, any image, any medium. Link it to the blog with a suggestion of a good book to read this summer and the sun just may smile on one lucky random winner! If you don't have a blog, email me at patacake1956@yahoo.com with your photo and suggestion for the same chance at a prize.


To inspire you to read a new book and get your creative juices going, here are the DT's takes on what to use to save your place in your books:

Debbie recommends sitting outside with "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by
Jeannette Walls.


Pammie recommends any romance novel by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss for a good summer read.



Here are a few more bookmarks to inspire your lazy summer days.












Thursday, July 7, 2011

Technique Thursday - Button, Button, Who's Got Buttons?

Buttons seem to be such an easy embellishment on cards and layouts. You don't need to know how to sew, just adhere one with a glue dot and you're done! However, buttons can be the focus on your card instead of an embellishment. Here are a few ideas that will make you pop your buttons (in a good way):
Button Birds: Use a large round button for a bird's entire body. The two button holes make great eyes, or you can attach google eyes to the felt buttons shown here. You can draw long or short legs down from the button body, and even draw a little beak so it can sing its own song.

Button Eyes: Tiny buttons make great eyes on your images, giving them dimension and color.

Altered Paper Clips:

Some of the most gorgeous paper clipos I've seen on cards and even layouts have been handmade using a large plain paperclip, a button and some creativity. Just as classy as a decorated stickpin, paperclips are so versatile and fun to use.

Bugs:

Adhering buttons together on cardstock can create cute as a button bugs, like a caterpillar, an ant, a ladybug and a spider (technically not a bug, but...).




Clasps:

If you're into altered art, buttons can be used to hold your projects closed, as in purse cards, altered notebooks, etc.







Wheels: Buttons make great wheels on car, truck and bicycle images.

Snowman:

I have a big can of white buttons my grandmother gave to me when her eyes gave out and she had to give up sewing. Not only can I color them with Copics or paint, I can make my own little army of snowmen to defend my fort when winter snows us in.




No matter how you play with them, there are no ifs ands or buts, just BUTTYONS. They are more versatile than you think! Next time you need a killer card for a blog challenge, think BUTTONS!