Card Making with Design Team Member Amanda Sherman

Hi!  I’m Amanda, one of the Design Team members.  Sometimes I think there are funny twists in life.  I started scrapbooking after some failed attempts at card making. 

However, once I had a photo and story in hand to tell, the world of paper to me was completely changed and I embraced it and am now a full fledged addict.  (Yes, I’ll admit it, but I’m certainly not changing it!)

Well, now I find it ironic because I’ve struggled with cards after I took up scrapbooking.  Wait, maybe I never actually grasped cards in the first place.  At any rate, I’ve found there is a whole new world of paper products out there that make cards a bit easier. 

You see, they are 6x6 paper stacks.  Yes, really!!  I know, you’ve probably seen them at least a dozen times at Craft Warehouse.  I stayed away from them for a long time because the pattern scaled to 25% of the 12x12 size never did much for me.  Until I realized two things.  First, I can make a card out of a sheet of paper and not feel guilty for cutting a new 12x12 sheet.  Secondly, the print scale really is much better for cards.  AND if you want to make 6x6 cards (additional postage required), the hard part is done for you!!

Recently I embraced this whole thought process as I set out to make a card for my Mother in Law.  I kept the sentiment simple (well, non-existent) because I wanted it to be completely visual yumminess.  And not really knowing how the end result was going to be when I stared, I ended up having this divine card that I must say is one of my very favorite cards I’ve ever made.




For the handmade embellishment, layer two pieces of tissue paper over matching cardstock.  Die cut the layers together.  Then hand stitch & spray with a Glimmer Mist for the final touch!  It makes the tissue crinkle and adds shimmer at the same time.  A definite handmade touch.

Supplies:  My Minds Eye Lost & Found Two (paper & trims), Glimmer Mist, misc (floss & button), brown ink

"Santa's Key" Shadow Box Project

Every Santa needs a key

Shopping List:

8x8 white shadow box

Tim Holtz idea-ology Curio Knob

1/2 yard red ribbon

12x12 My Minds Eye "Lost & Found Christmas" Santa Glitter paper

12x12 My Minds Eye "Lost & Found Christmas" Bright Glitter paper

Santa Poem (find poems on the Internet or come up with your own)

8.5 x11 cream card stock paper

Pioneer extra strong embellishment glue stick

Key (you can find old fashion keys in our frame shop department or use Tim Holtz idea-ology keys in scrap booking)

Fiskers Detail Knife



1. Start with cutting your Santa paper  8x8. then glue to the front of the cover sheet using your glue stick.

2. Then trace the striped Christmas paper to fit the front of your shadow box frame. Cut out paper using a Fiskars knife

3.  Then glue the striped paper to the front of your shadow box frame.

4.  Glue the Santa paper to the advertisement paper. Punch a hole through both papers to attach your curio knob.

5.  After curio knob is attached glue paper to the back of your frame back. This will give it more security to hold your key.

 6.   Then print out a poem on cream paper. Here is the poem I used:

 It's the night before Christmas & we're excited as can be.

We're leaving this out for you...it's a very special key.

You can shimmy down the chimney, or tiptoe through the door.

Just use this key we left for you to find cookies, milk & more!

7. I cut the poem in a tag shape and used Tim Holtz distressed photo ink to make the paper more vintage looking.
8. Tie the ribbon, tag and key together and hang it on your curio knob.

 9.  Close up your shadow box.



Happy Holidays Framing Project

Creating a home for all your holiday photos!

This project was created using the same pieces as The "Believe in Santa Claus" project that was previously posted on our blog. You can follow the steps only changing the back ground in the first project form paper to fabric.

Coaster Set by Design Team Member Amanda Sherman

Hi!  I’m Amanda, one of the Design Team members.  I love giving handmade gifts, especially at Christmas.  To me, nothings says “I was thinking about you” more than something I took the effort to make, expressing both my personality and the recipients.


This is a fast and inexpensive gift idea.  And practical too.  You can make beautiful coasters with some inexpensive tiles from the home improvement store, mod podge and some scrapbook paper.

List of supplies:

• Mod Podge
• Ceramic Tiles
• Paper (I prefer the 6x6 stacks – the scale of the pattern is perfect for the project and it’s an easy way to have coordinated product.  And accessible at Craft Warehouse)
• StazOn ink
• Foam brush (or any brush, I prefer foam)
• Hot Glue gun or Beacon 3 in 1 adhesive
• Felt (enough for a 4x4 square for each tile)

Let’s get started!

Pull out 4 sheets of coordinating paper.  Cut into 4 4”x4” squares.  Cut 4 2”x4” strips and 4 more 3/4”x4” strips

(I’m trying really hard to make Santa’s “Nice List” this year so he’ll bring me a new self-healing mat LOL)

Using the StazOn ink, ink all edges.  I tried several inks and found StazOn was the best and didn’t bleed.

Use Mod Podge as adhesive and glue paper to tile.

Apply pressure even and work out any wrinkles.

Adhere (using Mod Podge) the additional strips (after inking).  If desired, use stickers or other completely flat embellishment to add some decor.

When you have everything adhered, coat with a coat of Mod Podge.  Use long straight brush strokes to minimize brush stroke appearance.  Use consistent pressure and evenly distribute mod podge.

Here’s a little trick for drying.  After you wipe all the edges of mode podge drips, I put them on an upside down measuring cup.  I find it very useful to keep a set of inexpensive measuring cups in my stash – this is a perfect application.

If you have any wrinkles appear, when the mod podge is about 80% dry (dry to the touch, but still soft and not firm and hard) you can smooth out any wrinkles.  Any sooner will result in smudge mod podge, later it will be too firm to smooth out.

Next, we need to do the final step of adding the felt to the back to protect the surface of the table they’ll be used on.  Cut the felt to 4” squares.  Adhere with hot glue or Beacon 3 in 1 adhesive (I like this because I don’t burn myself :) )

Let dry completely.  Then you can stack them and tie them together with a pretty ribbon and maybe a tag.

 
Supplies:  Crate Paper Random, 6x6 paper stack.  Fancy Pants St Nick stickers.

Enjoy!!

Believe in Santa Claus

We are so excited about sharing one of our latest projects we call

"Believe in Santa Claus"

 Shopping List:

Large Black 22x28 Frame (Gemline)

9-5x7 black frames (LFT-28)

Large MDF plaque (NST/203)

Cream Acrylic paint

Tom Boy Velcro Pack

Sticky Fingers tape runner

Vinyl Words "Believe in Santa Claus" & "Years"

7-12x12 scrap booking paper for background

5 12x12 scrap booking paper for inside 5x7 frames (My Minds Eye "Lost in Found Christmas" paper collection.

Assembling the plaque:

1. Start with painting the plaque with the acrylic paint. Repeat this step 3-4 times.
2. After your paint is dry rub on your vinyl. First start with the "Believe" then over lap "in Santa Claus"
3. Attach Tom Boy Velcro strips

Creating back drop behind the 9 black frames:

1. Open up the back of your large frame. Clean glass and set aside. Using the paper that comes in your frame, Cover using scrapbook paper and sticky thumb to hold in place. you can also rip your paper in to 6x6 squares to give it a decopodge look.

2.   Put frame back together with your paper facing out of the front of the frame.

Assembling the 9 photo frames:

1.    Print your photos to be 4x6 in size (If you would like the scrap booking paper to show in the back ground)
2.    Cut scrap booking paper to fit in the 5x7 frames. Then install photos and paper into frames.

3. add Vinyl Words "Years" to the 5x7 frames.

4.   Place Velcro strips on to the back of the 5x7 frames.

5.   Lay your 5x7 frames on to the top of the large frame. Start to position frames using a level and ruler to keep them straight.

Tip: I took 2 rulers that were the same width and place them in the corner of the large frame. then placed my first photo in the top corner. It you do this step to all 4 corners it will give you a good start. Then I measured the distance between the top middle frame to the top left & the top right frames. Then followed the same technique on the bottom 3 frames.

6.    peel of the back Velcro strip and place plaque at the top of your large frame.

Thankgiving Project by Design Team Member Jennifer Evans

Family is pretty important to me. I love the memories that I have of my late grandparents and wish that I could hear them tell me just one more story of their growing up in England or their adventures coming to the United States on the Queen Mary. Growing up, we always had photos and stories to share about our family's history.

When I got married, I asked my in-laws about pictures of them or their family and they told me they didn't have any pictures of them as babies. I was shocked! No photos?

A couple of years ago, I was in the spare room helping my mother-in-law. She came across a few boxes in the closet. She said they were her mother-in-law's and she didn't know what was in them. She opened them up and inside was envelopes. I asked if I could take them home to look through them and she said it would be fine.

Needless to say, I found a gold mine. My husband's grandmother was quite the scrapbooker at heart. She had organized every envelope down to each month since her marriage. Inside each envelope were negatives! They were still in perfect order including the negatives of my father-in-law as a baby in sealed envelopes! I was the first one to crack open the envelope sealed with a 1950's date, hold up the negative to the light, and squeal at the treasure I had found. Some of these photos had been lost at what was thought forever. She had preserved them by sealing the envelope and keeping them in a dark closet for years!

Layout by Jennifer Evans

Using Crate Paper's Farmhouse line

I purchased a professional negative scanner and began preserving my family's history. I then decided, that my son should know the story of his family and wrote up questions for my family to answer. I emailed these questions to family members ahead of time and asked them to email me the answers before Thanksgiving. (You could give them a date before Christmas too).

I didn't tell the family my real reason for collecting these answers; they all thought they would be just reading the answers on Thanksgiving. What I really did, was compile the answers and gave every family member their own page in a scrapbook. I added recent and the new photos I found hidden away in the album.

I will never forget the look my in-law's had when they opened their Christmas gift that year. There were pictures of their wedding that they hadn't seen in over 20 years on the front cover. Their eyes were filled with tears and they were speechless. Now, that was the best gift I could have ever given them! A collection of memories to pass down through the years.

Some of the questions I gave the family are as follows. Feel free to use them in your own scrapbook album. The more questions the better because they may not want to answer some of them if they don't want to.

What was it like growing up as a small child?


What was your favorite part of school?

What was your favorite memory of your grandparents? Your parents?


What did you like to do as a child? What was your favorite game?

What was your favorite food?


What was your favorite childhood toy?

If the album is for a specific person add What is your favorite thing about ___________?

What is your favorite holiday memory?


What was your favorite family vacation?

What do you love about being a __________ (mom, dad, aunt, uncle, etc.)