Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog

Crop & Create is coming to Burnaby, BC!

Just a reminder that registration opens on March 5th at 8:00 p.m.!  Join us for this amazing 2 day education and cropping event being held at the Hilton Hotel in Burnaby, BC!  We can assure you that not only will you go home with a FABULOUS goody bag, two days of brand new tips, tricks and techniques under your belt, a whole bunch of free make n' takes and feeling very full from all the fabulous food, you will go home a little sad because it's over! 

So come and join us for the greatest classes from some of the industry's best designers, fun challenges to keep you creatively inspired all weekend, and our infamous photo booth!  We've have also arranged to have book signing with Vicki Boutin (see her brand new book Creative Foundations here) and Kimber McGray who has just released 100 Fresh and Fun Handmade Cards (see here)!   We will be releasing class information on Wednesday, February 29th here so that you can be ready for registration on the 5th.  We only have 125 spaces so be sure to register early as our last event registration had some classes selling out within 12 hours!

For all the information for Crop & Create Burnaby, please visit our website here!  We can't wait to see you there!

 

Bo Bunny Giveaway! It's Friday!

Good morning friends!  We just had to end this exciting week with yet another giveaway!  Aren't you glad you stopped by?  We're sure glad you did!  And, if you happen to be buried in snow this morning, then you'll enjoy just sitting back and reading what we have in store for you this morning!

One of the companies we always love visiting with when we go to CHA is Bo Bunny!  This booth is one we are in for a while because there is just so much to look at.  Imagine all the double dot papers, ribbons, embellishments and more!  But this line is one we stopped and visited with for a long time and just knew we had to have it to giveaway...see we're always thinking about you!

Today's very lucky winner will receive a selection from the brand new Ambrosia collection from Bo Bunny!  With vibrant colours that are perfect for spring and a little whimsy mixed in, this beautiful collection will be a PERFECT addition to your craft space right?  We thought so too!

Just leave us a comment below, maybe tell us what you're up to today, and we'll randomly select a winner next Thursday, March 1st at 6:00 p.m. EST!  Good luck!

Would you like to know who won last weeks giveaway?  You remember the fabulous new book from Kimber McGray...

and the March Kit from The Card Kitchen courtesy of Jillibean Soup.  The winner of this amazing prize package is...

What a fantastic giveaway! I have never gotten a Card Kitchen kit, but from what I have seen they are fabulous!  Posted by: Amanda Coleman | February 17, 2012 at 11:49 AM

Congratulations Amanda!  Just send us your address to ideas@scrapbookandcards.com and put "I won Kimber's book!" in your reference line! 

Seriously though, if you have not checked out the Card Kitchen you should!  Fabulous product selection, great design inspiration and all delivered right to your door co-ordinated and ready to go.  What could be easier!  Go ahead, treat yourself.  I give you full permission  :)

If you have been joining us on Facebook this week, we posted all the winners from our 9,000 fan celebration here last night at 9:00 p.m. so be sure to check it out.  But here is the great part, we are only 140 people away from hitting 10,000 fans!  And we are ready to celebrate again!  If you have any crafty friends who have not joined us, be sure to send them over to our Facebook page so we can get the party started again!

Join us next week as we have another great week in store for you!  Enjoy your weekend and thank you again for a very exciting week!

~ Catherine

BIG NEWS! And we are excited!!!

Good morning friends!  We could not sleep last night because we were so excited for our BIG NEWS today!  Drum roll please...introducing the SCT YouTube channel!   Our first video in the "Create Today" series by design team member Lynn Ghahary features brand new Pebbles product and a brand new  CardMap sketch from the new CardMaps Vol. 2 to be released on March 23rd (order here)!  And to celebrate the launch of the Create Today series, we have a prize! (does that surprise you SCT friends?) And of course, it's a selection from the Hip Hip Horray collection from Pebbles!

 

The Create Today series will feature videos from Lynn Ghahary and Nancy Damiano!  A new video will be uploaded about every two weeks to inspire you all year through!  So go and check out our new video, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel SCTMagazine so that you don't miss any videos and then come on back here and celebrate with us by leaving a comment below!  We would love to hear what you thought!  A winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, March 29th at 9:00 p.m.! 

We have so much love for our readers and can't thank you enough for all your wonderful comments on Facebook over the past two days.  We have been touched beyond belief knowing that we have been such a part of your life.  With a heartfelt thank you from the entire SCT team...THANK YOU!  But guess what? Did you know that we are only 240 fans away from reaching another huge milestone of 10,000 Facebook fans?  AMAZING!   We went from 9,000 to almost 10,000 in the blink of an eye!  And we can't wait to celebrate the number 10! (wink, wink!)  So if you have not yet had a chance to join our fan page, you can do that right here.

So grab a cup of your favourite thing (you know I have a tall non-fat, no foam latte beside me right?) and watch our brand new video in the Create Today series.  Thank you Lynn Ghahary for starting this series with a bang!  xoxox

~  Catherine

Publisher, Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine

 

Shaker card tutorial with Becky Fleck!

Hey all, Becky here again! How did you like Monday’s sketch challenge? Joan D stepped up to the challenge and created a really cool clock face on her card – super clever!

When I first started cardmaking, shaker cards were very popular. Not only are they fun to make, but they are fun to receive, too! I thought this sketch would work great for a shaker card and here are step-by-step instructions on how to create one yourself. Here is the finished card:

Supplies: Bazzill Basics (cardstock); The Girls’ Paperie, Stampin’ Up!, Jillibean Soup (patterned paper); Pink Petticoat (digital stamps); Copic (pens); Grafix (transparency); American Crafts (foam dots); Xyro, Beacon (adhesive); Martha Stewart (micro beads); German crushed glass

Start out by creating a 5.5”x5.5” base card. I made mine out of a really pretty Bazzill Periwinkle Blue. Trim one 5”x5” piece of red paper and a 4.75”x4.75” piece of plaid paper. Cut out a 3.25” circle from the center of each piece. Layer the two pieces together.

Trim a 3.5” piece of transparency;  turn the layered piece over to the back and glue the transparency over the opening. I used a fast-drying wet glue for this step.

I chose two digital stamps from Pink Petticoat. One of the benefits of using digital stamps is that you can resize the files to fit your project. For this card, I printed a wreath of daisies (deleting several of them where the wheelbarrow would go) and a cute, little wheelbarrow. I coloured both images with Copic pens and trimmed them  out. I cut the circle out of the center of the wreath just a little bit smaller than the 3.25” circle I cut out from the patterned paper.

Glue the wreath to the front of the layered patterned paper, centering it over the opening; set the wheelbarrow aside.

Trim a 4” circle from coordinating patterned paper or cardstock and set it aside. Turn the layered piece over to the backside. Apply foam dots (or foam scraps) around the perimeter of the transparency, ensuring that they are side-by-side and close together. These foam dots will hold in the beads you pour in the next step.

Pour one tablespoon of crushed glass into the opening; sprinkle with microbeads  (I used blue, green and red).

Carefully remove the release paper from each foam dot; cover the opening with the 4” circle and press firmly on each foam dot. Note: the side of the circle you place facing down will be the side that shows through the transparency when the card is assembled. Apply adhesive to the 4” circle and glue the entire assembly to the center of the card base. Attach the wheelbarrow to the front with foam dots.

That’s it! After I completed the card, I realized I had not included a sentiment, but I usually add them to the inside of the shaker before I close it up. What kind of shaker are you going to create?  Have a wonderful, creative day!  ~ Becky

Woohoo...guess what...

We hit 9,000 facebook fans yesterday!  And we are celebrating SCT style!!  Join us on our facebook page as we celebrate the number 9...with 9 subscription giveaways, 9 CardMaps 2 issues to giveaway and a grand prize announced at 9:00 a.m. TODAY!  Jump on over so you don't miss it!

Oh, and one more thing...we have another amazing surprise to reveal tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

 

 

Baker's Twine Tutorial with Summer Fullerton

One of the newer products on the scene these days is baker's twine.  Coming in many different colours by several different manufacturers, it is very versatile and is that perfect touch on a card or layout.  On pages 28-29 of our winter issue (view here), Vicki Boutin showed a variety of ways to use twine and today, design team member Summer Fullerton has another great tutorial on how to showcase twine in a layout! 

Family Time by Summer Fullerton
Supplies Used: Cardstock Bazzill, Patterned Paper Jillibean Soup, Corrugated Alphas Jillibean Soup, Stickers Jillibean Soup, Tags Jillibean Soup, Baker’s Twine Jillibean Soup, Buttons Jillibean Soup, Diecuts Jillibean Soup, Tiny Attacher Tim Holtz, Font Traveling Typewriter, misc corner rounder, Cuttlebug/Heart Die Provo Craft, and Sticker Maker/Adhesive Xyron.
 
 
Supplies Needed:
Tag
Cuttlebug & Die or Punch
Bakers Twine
Xyron Sticker Maker
Scrap Cardstock
Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (optional)
 

 
Die cut or punch your favorite shape into a tag. 
 

 
Cut a scrap piece of cardstock slightly larger than the die cut and run it thru your Xyron Sticker maker. Note: if you don’t have a sticker maker then coat your scrap piece of paper with adhesive. 
 

 
Going back and forth cover the sticky side of the scrap piece of paper with Baker’s Twine. Allow the twine to extend past the edges of the cardstock. 
 

 
Once your scrap piece of cardstock is covered in twine trim the excess twine as seen in the photo. 
 

 
Adhere the cardstock covered with twine to the back of the tag. For a little added fun touch I add mini staples in a few spots around the heart. 
 

 
Using your favorite die and any color twine this can be customized to fit just about any layout, project or card. The possibilities are endless!

~ Summer Fullerton

We're getting ready to celebrate since we are just a few "likes" away from 9,000 fans!  So join us on Facebook today to get the party started!  (psst...come like us!)

CardMaps sketch challenge...and one more!

Happy Family Day, Happy Presidents Day or if you are not celebrating those today, then Happy Monday!  Did you have a chance to enjoy all the inspiration on Kimber McGray's 40th birthday blog hop on Saturday?  If you missed it, click here to join in.   Speaking of cards, Becky Fleck is here with a challenge based on our brand new CardMaps 2 special issue releasing on March 23rd!

"Hey all, it’s Becky, your humble editor. Here at the office, we are busy putting the final touches on this year’s CardMaps 2 issue. It is absolutely beautiful, loaded with some of the best card artwork I’ve ever seen! One of my favourite sketches from this issue is a square card that offers so much creative versatility:

 
 

Kelly Goree is the artist who used this sketch in the issue and her cards are simply a-maaaaazing! You won’t want to miss your chance to order this beautiful, limited edition issue and see her finished cards, as well as 70 other fantastic cards and techniques.  CardMaps 2 will ship on March 17th!

I’d like to challenge all of you to create a card based on this sketch, and post a link to your endeavours on this post!! I’ll be back on Wednesday to show you a shaker card step-out based on this sketch, too. It’s a fun technique for sure. See you then!

~  Becky

Just so you know, we are getting ready (and I mean ready!) to celebrate once we hit 9,000 facebook fans!  Be sure to click here and "like" us!  Let's get there today!

Happy 40th Birthday Kimber!

Hello there!  Welcome to Kimber McGray's 40th birthday blog hop!  If you have arrived from Celeste's blog, then you're in the right place!  I'm sure along the way you have heard over and over just how wonderful Kimber is...and it's all true!  When I met Kimber in 2006 we hit it off instantly and since then she has been an amazing SCT team member, a great friend and one of those people you are just so glad you know.  With her quick wit, big laugh and the ability to talk you off a ledge when you need it, she is truly one-of-a-kind.  So SCT friends, let's give Kimber a HUGE happy birthday...SCT style! 

And in honour of Kimber's special day, I snuck into my scraproom for a few minutes yesterday and made Kimber a card...

The inside reads...

"It is said that at 20, you master in the energy you possess; at 30, you master in the wit while at 40, you master in judgment. Congrats! Now you are blessed with all the 3." Happy 40th birthday to you Kimber!   Love, Catherine  xoxoxox 

Now to continue on this extraordinary blog hop full of good wishes and inspiration too, you are going to visit Laura Vegas' blog HERE!  To join the blog hop all the way at the beginning, you can start at the Jillibean Soup Blog.  Enjoy! 

~  Catherine

 (Quote from wishafriend.com.  It was just a perfect quote!)

It's all about cards today giveaway!!!

We have an exciting giveaway today! First, Scrapbook & Cards Today designer Kimber McGray has launched her brand new book...and of course we asked her for one of the first copies to giveaway to YOU!  You got it, one lucky reader will win an autographed copy of "100 Fresh and Fun Handmade Cards"!

"This title features step-by-step instructions for 100 adorable card making projects, perfect for whether you're crafting a last-minute birthday card or looking to stretch your papercraft skills with an all-occasion 'anytime' card. With 50 basic cards and another 50 cards with an interactive or dimensional feature, there are plenty of options no matter how experienced you are or no matter how much time you have to spend. Step-by-step photos will help readers work through all the tricky bits to create truly memorable cards with swivels, pop-ups, spinners, shakers, sliders and more for birthdays, holidays, celebrations and no reason at all." (psst...you can also buy it here!)

Of course, if you're making cards you need something to make them with right?  Well, have we got a second great prize for you!  Today's winner will also win...

The February Card Kitchen Kit from Jillibean Soup!  Each kit is chock full of products that coordinate together to create at least 8 fabulous cards. A typical kit will look something like this:

• At least 8 pieces of 12"x12" coordinating pattern paper
• Full sheets of either coordinating die cuts and/or stickers (many times both!)
• Usually 3 different trims such as silk ribbon, grosgrain ribbon, crocheted trim, baker's twine, natural twine, etc.
• Fun embellishments that work wonderfully on cards, interesting buttons, cool brads, kraft tags, mini alphas, sentiment stickers or stamps.
• A set of 8 cards with envelopes. We love Kraft so most kits will have contain some kraft cards and envelopes. The other cards included will coordinate with the papers in the kit. 

PLUS, With each kit you will also receive a full, detailed set of instructions to create 8 cards. Note that you will have a ton of product left over to create additional cards or projects (with ideas from your new book!). Everything will come to you un-cut so you can use the products as you see fit if you don't want to create the sample cards.

A spectacular prize today right?  Just leave us a comment below before Thursday, February 23rd at 6:00 p.m. EST!  Good luck!  

Let's look at who won last week's prize from designer Courtney Walsh...

Congrats on your novel. It sounds amazing. It's always great to find other "friends" who love scrapbkooking and cardmaking as much as I do!    Posted by: Sheree Delaney | February 10, 2012 at 12:18 PM

Congratulations Sheree!  Please send us your mailing address to ideas@scrapbookandcards.com.  If you didn't win you can always purchase it here or here!

One last thing, we have something special to celebrate tomorrow.  We love to celebrate so be sure to take a minute to join us!  Enjoy your day, see you tomorrow for a special Saturday celebration!

~  Catherine

PS...and if you want something else to add to your cardmaking stash, you may want to check out our facebook page a little later today! 

 

Sneak peek time!

As Crop & Create Winnipeg is quickly coming together (and almost sold out!), we have more sneak peeks from our instructors to share with you!  Caroline Lau from Maya Road is teaching a fabulous mini album class called "The Mini Method" that is full of fresh ideas and techniques for creating that perfect mini album...

Do you see all that Maya Road goodness?  And the good news is Caroline will also be teaching this class at Crop & Create Burnaby, BC on June 2 and 3rd!  Registration for BC will open on March 5th so to all our readers out there...mark your calendars!!

Next, Kimber McGray (and cardmaker extraordinaire!), is also joining us at Crop & Create Winnipeg, Crop & Create Moncton AND Crop & Create Burnaby with two amazing card classes - Flowers CAN Bloom All Year and Get Interactive!  Here is a little peek of those...

Get Interactive!

Flowers CAN Bloom All Year

For a peek at Becky Fleck's sold out Make Your Own Embellishment class, feast your eyes...

We'll be adding more sneak peeks over the next couple of weeks as the teachers work with the brand new products from CHA.  You can also "like" our Crop & Create facebook page to be "in the know" about all things Crop & Create!  With incredible teachers, students learn fabulous techniques with some of the hottest products out there.  These events are not to be missed!  And they are FUN!  Just ask those ladies that joined us in Saskatoon and Markham  ;)   Ladies, do you remember the ugly sweater contest?  Or the blindfold card challenge?  Good times!

For more information about Crop & Create, just visit our website at www.scrapbookandcards.com.  We hope you can join us.  And ladies in the US, we are looking at locations there too.  First stop, may be Buffalo, NY in September!  Shhhhhh...

Join us tomorrow for our Friday giveaway.  Want a little hint...KIMBER!

~ Catherine

(We are going to do an extra giveaway on facebook tomorrow so be sure to hope on over and "like" us today!)   

Project 12 for February!

Hello Friends!  It’s the February edition of Project 12 in 2012.  How do you feel about the new challenge? (for all the information on Project 12 in 2012 click here!) I hope you are taking the opportunity to be free with your photos, to save the memorabilia if it strikes your fancy, and are finding inspiration by digging through 2 years of sketches put together by Becky Fleck here and here. 

The sketch I chose to use this month came from October 2010:

 

I really liked that big circle and was excited to use this sketch again.  I had considered making a big heart for Valentines Day or trimming out a big doily with my die cut machine, but instead, went with a couple of smaller doilies and more photos.

 My layout:

 

Can you tell how I was inspired by the sketch?  A sketch is a great starting point, but for me, it’s always fun to use that as a guide and then let the photos and embellishments finish the design.  With this new challenge, we are also working with the monthly Colour Suite, and for February, it looks like this:

With that color palette in mind, I dug through my stash and came out with some perfect prints from Crate Paper, as well as colored cardstock and stamps.  Don’t have that purple?  For some reason, I have Ranger distress ink in milled lavender, and was able to stamp some cardstock before trimming out my smaller hearts.  I also used it to stamp the banner with a new My Minds Eye stamp set.  Don’t forget to look to your ink when searching for a color you are missing!

 My layout closeups:

 

With this sketch, I added a few extra photos, because as I was looking through my phone photos, there were a few I had forgotten, random moments like the way Payton was sitting while working on her Valentines (she sits just like her dad, with her feet crossed), a photo I took of my books as I was studying, and even the wreath I made for February on our front door. 

Previously with Project 12, I would look through my digital files and choose what best captured the month.  In 2012, I’m working hard to really capture the everyday too.  I think you can see my life in these photos and that makes me happy but I put no pressure on myself and there are certainly days when no photos are taken.  This is supposed to be about capturing your life, and about art.  It should be fun.  The only preplanning I did was to slip in an extra Valentine for Payton to sign just so I could use it for my layout.  It was a covert mission and she had no idea.  When you are 5 and have to sign your name 22 times, does it really matter if it ends up being 23?  :)  It really was quite convenient that the extra heart was purple. 

Speaking of previous, we need to button up 2011 and hand out some prizes.  If you played along with the December 2011 sketch and linked your work at my blog or at the SCT blog post that revealed the December sketch (or emailed your layout), you were in a drawing for a prize in December!

Cynthia B is the winner from SCT

And

Vanessa

Is the winner from my blog.  Congratulations ladies, you won the Snow Day Collection from Pink Paislee!  It’s just adorable.  Just email ideas@scrapbookandcards.com with your mailing address and Pink Paislee will get that right out to you!

Thank you again for joining us this month for Project 12 in 2012!  I hope you found something to inspire you and I’ll see you back here on March 15th sharp!  Why don't you hop over here or here now and choose your sketch for February...a great place to start!

And be sure to check out February's Colour Suite and Summer's inspiration too.  Just click here to see the beautiful cards Summer created from this month's colour palette!

~ Davinie