Santa & Co Christmas Album

Have you seen the Santa & Co product suite in the new Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog? With its rustic whimsy style and the completely adorable, oh-so-funny, completely irreverent (but NOT naked, Shari!) Visions of Santa Photopolymer Stamp Set I can't help but chuckle to myself every single time I color one of these guys! The Visions of Santa stamp set includes four different images of Santa in his long johns/pajamas/underwear and others with his suit sleeves and pant legs rolled up. There is also an adorable moose (or is he a caribou?) and several tiny accessories, including a candy cane and a string of lights, along with two corresponding sentiments 'Tis the season to get fancy and May Visions of Santa Dance in Your Head. The Santa & Co Designer Series Paper includes some coordinating patterns and a few sheets of dancing Santa's, including some images not included in the stamp set, and a few sheets of the moose and his moose wife - I just love her scarves! The Santa & Co Washi Tape, a set of 3 rolls, coordinates with the patterns and colors as does the Santa & Co Embellishments pack of 3-D Epoxy Circles.

I am so pleased with the Santa & Co Christmas Album I made using items from the entire product suite. I created this album at a recent Stampin' Retreat with a few close stampin' friends in Breckenridge, CO. A big shout out to Jacque Raila, Shari Rhode and Lisa Oates for all the fabulous inspiration they continuously provide to me as well as the creative direction and helping hands for this project.

Two pieces of Chipboard are cut to 8 1/2 x 6 inches and covered on both sides with Santa & Co Designer Series Paper for the cover. I stamped and colored the dancing Santas onto a strip of Whisper White cardstock for the title and then added the 2014 year with two layers of die cut numbers. To add some interest to the die cut numbers, I sketched a few lines and dots with the White Chalkboard Marker. The Visions of Santas Dancing...  stamp makes a perfectly whimsical sentiment to go along with this Christmas Album cover. I finished the cover off with two of the Santa & Co Embellishments adhered to Basic Black circles on a piece of Marina Mist Chevron Ribbon.

For the inside pages I folded 8 1/2 x 11 Soft Suede and Crumb Cake Cardstock in half and trimmed just a little off the top edge. This way the inside pages are smaller than the covers and I like the clean, finished look of that. Along the outside edge of each page, I added an edging of the Santa & Co Washi Tape. Then I added photo and journaling mats of matching Cardstock, Embellishments and Chevron Ribbon tabs attached with staples. This two page layout shown above was finished with the help of my stampin' friends with the beautiful tag made by Shari and the fussy cutting of the silly snowmen page by Jacque. These snowmen are featured on two of the Santa & Co DSP papers. 

An element that I really like in the album is the pockets created due to folding the pages in half. I cut strips off the top of some pages, adhered the two open edges (bottom and binding side) and this created a pocket to tuck memorabilia and letters. (You can see those pocket pages in the collage of pages shown here.) The Santa & Co Christmas Album has just over 20 pages and I added a few elements to each page with the stamping help of Shari, Jacque and Lisa. I can't wait to just add the photos and notes from this year's holiday to an already completed album!

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Rejoice! - March Paper Crafters Sampler

The March issue of Paper Crafters Sampler is all about Easter with a Rejoice! theme. This beautiful issue offers project ideas for a memorable Easter season.  The projects this month are 'eggcellent.  Inside you'll find Easter-themed greeting cards, a mini spring flip-flop album, an elegant Easter daffodil suite to stuff with goodies and much more. This months template is the Bunny Weathervane,  a great idea for your Easter table centerpiece.

Here's a sneak peek of my project, a mini scrapbook album just perfect for your Easter photos! I used the beautiful Sale-A-Bration items, Sweet Sorbet DSP and Sweet Sorbet Accessories. This is a Flip Flop Album, so it has some really fun interactive features and lots of place to put photos and journaling, all tied up in a table top mini album.

Be sure to visit Paper Crafters Sampler to get your March Issue.






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Stamp Review Crew: Gorgeous Grunge Edition

 This edition of the Stamp Review Crew features Gorgeous Grunge stamp set, one that was a gift given to me by a close stampin' friend - thank you, I have loved using it!

I did a little Scrapbooking this weekend and one of the pictures I have is this candid shot of my daughter on her way to school. She was dressed in camouflage for a Homecoming Week 'Camo' day last fall. She is 16 and so happy, life truly is good for her, and this makes me so happy knowing her inner confidence and joy.

I found the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set is just perfect for adding some texture to your pages. I Heat Embossed all the stamped images with Clear Embossing Powder for some shine, too. I love how the striped image grounds the single photo on this layout.

Here's a card using the same elements and same colors as the scrapbook page. I Heat Embossed these images with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder for even more sparkle.

Recipes:
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Perfect Pennants
Ink: Rose Red, Gumball Green, So Saffron
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Gumball Green, Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Whisper White, Epic Day This and That DSP
Accessories: Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die, Deco Label Framelits, Hung Up Cute Clips, Clear Embossing Powder, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Sweet Sorbet Accessories Kit (Summer Starfruit Twine), Rhinestone Jewels, Circle Punches ( 2 1/2", Itty Bitty and 1/2")

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to click through to all of the blogs on the Stamp Review Crew: Gorgeous Grunge Edition by using the Previous and Next Buttons below. I also listed the Blog Roll of The Stamp Review Crew: Gorgeous Grunge Edition at the bottom of this post. You'll find tons of inspiration and creativity! Happy Blog Hopping!

 

Gorgeous Grunge Blog roll

1. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
2. Cindy Beach stampspaperandink.typepad.com/
3. Beth Beard   mylittlecraftblog.com/
4. Adriana Benitez  escape2stamp.com
5. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
6. Debra Burgin  heartfeltinkspiration.com/
7. Jill Coleman  jillstamps.com/
8. Deb Currier  artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com/
9. Mike Funke    stampin-style.typepad.com/
10. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
11. Holly Krautkremer  rubberredneck.typepad.com
12. Mary Rindal   maryrindal.com
13. Martha Stewart  seasonsofstamping.com/
14. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com
15. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/ 
16. Kerry Willard Bray  kerrywillardbray.com
17. Paula Wright  paulastamps.blogspot.com/
18. Rita Wright  ritascreations.blogspot.com/
19. Betty Traciak kittystamps.blogspot.com
20. Nancy Smith iguanastamp.wordpress.com

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Scrapbook Page - Lindsey

 When I pulled out my scrapbook items and some inspiration pages, I found this 8x8 scrapbook layout from the Denver Stampin' Up! Regional last year. I think it's a great layout, so I added this picture of my daughter and layered the smaller scrapbook page up with some mats, a border strip and a title to make a quick and easy 12x12 scrapbook page.

The Clockworks stamp set on this page is a fun set with great images for backgrounds and for main focal points. For the LINS title, I die cut the letters from (retired) Bigz Serif Essentials die in Basic Gray. Then I used a Sponge Dauber to 'ombre' them from the top down. The bracket on the right is part of the Bigz Oval Accent die with some Basic Glimmer Brads.




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Scrapbook Page - Prom

Wow! Here's my first scrapbook page in months - as in more than 12 months! How about this fun layout with some pretty paper from the Holiday Catalog? Two of pattern paper strips here are from the Winter Frost Specialty DSP available August 1st in a decidedly Christmas pack with 2 sheets of foil accented designs. Also, those beautiful Snowflake  Frosted Finishes Embellishments are a new item in the Holiday Catalog as well.

I die cute the PROM title letters in Bermuda Bay cardstock with the (retired) Bigz Alphabet Simple Letters die. Then I ran the letters through the Big Shot again with the Stylish Stripes Textured Embossing Folder, also available in the Holiday Catalog beginning August 1st. After embossing the letters, I stamped them in Illuminate Pigment ink with the small script image from (retired) French Foliage stamp set. This ink gives such a beautiful hint of sparkle and elegance.  Finally, I sponged all the edges with a Sponge Dauber in Bermuda Bay ink to darken them and give a little more definition. This mat for the title piece is the Bigz Oval Accent cut from Basic Black cardstock and then embossed with the Beautifully Baroque TIEF.

I am just in love with this boy - and his prom date was so beautiful! Never mind that he and his baseball team had just lost their last baseball game of the season, in the semi-finals of the state championship series. Never mind, that because of that game, and in spite of a quick shower and lots of help getting ready, he was late for photos (she got off the bus and I snapped these super quick before they left), nearly missed the party bus (they had a group of 40+) and completely forgot to bring his date's corsage (but his parents delivered it to dinner) - Prom Night was a lot of fun and those kids had a great time! I added a couple of details about where they went and what they did in little white journaling boxes cut from one of the Apothecary Accents dies. When I was playing with my layout, I wrote my journaling (ALWAYS use a journaling pen with archival quality ink!) and then overstamped it with the script image and Illuminate Ink. However, when I did my final journaling and had adhered it all together, I realized that I had forgotten to add the over-stamping.

For a time, I was scrapping several pages a week, as in 20-40 a month! Then I slowed down, but was still scrapping several pages a month. Then I stopped. Life got busy - busier - and I was concentrating on my cards and card classes and dropped my scrapbooking classes. But I printed a few photos last week and while my Stampin' Up! friends and downline were at the 25th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake, I pulled together some pretty pictures and created this page that I love! So happy that I did. And I asked my son what he thought of the page, is it too girly with all that bling? He gave it his approval and said, well it's prom, you need a little bling I think. Love that kid!




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Jacob's Ladder Tutorial - Mini Scrapbook Album

Jacob’s Ladder 
Mini Album Tutorial

Supplies:
12 Coasters – 4” x 4”
3 pieces of lightweight ribbon - 45” each
12 Designer Series Paper – 4” x 4”
Sticky Strip
Mono Multi, or other Adhesive

1.    Cover one side of each Coaster with DSP, using adhesive of choice – I use Tombow Mono Multi. Round corners, trim edges, sand as necessary.

2.    Set 6 coasters aside. Mark the remaining 6 coaster on the back side with lines drawn at ¾”, 2” and 3 ¼”


3.    Lay down Sticky Strip on the top, bottom and across each line on the back of these 6 coasters, trim to edge.4.    Adhere the ribbons to the Sticky Strip lines, beginning as shown in the picture with alternating Ribbon pieces, two to the left, one to the right, as shown. Adhere an un-lined Coaster to this Coaster, back to back, sandwiching the Ribbon ends between the two Coasters.


5.    Bring the Ribbons over this completed page. Now two are to the right and one is to the left. Be sure the ribbon is laying flat against the covered coaster.

6.    Lay the DSP side of another lined Coaster on top of the ribbon, creating a stack. Pull the Ribbon snug and bring them across the Sticky Strip lined Coaster and adhere to marked lines.


7.    Adhere an un-lined Coaster to this Coaster, back to back, sandwiching the Ribbons between the two Coasters.

8.    Repeat this process through all your Coasters, being sure that your Ribbons are nice and flat and snug and alternated each time you put down a Coaster. Before adhering the final Coaster, trim the Ribbon ends so they are hidden between the last two Coasters.9.    Test your Jacob’s Ladder by lifting the top coaster on the edges with your fingers, left and right side. Now fold the top page back on itself and watch the remaining pages FLIP-FLIP-FLIP over each other. Fold forward to repeat the flipping. If a page gets stuck and doesn’t flip, just flick it with your finger.

10.    Decorate the front cover as desired.11.    Remember when adding pictures to trim them off center and adhere below the ribbons, so that the flipping mechanism has free movement. Try your pictures before adhering to be sure the Ribbons are not covering important elements. See in the pictures below, how one side will have two ribbons across her face and when flipped, it will have one ribbon down the center. Play with the trimming of your photos a little before permanently adhering to the pages.



Mini Album Box Holder
8 ¼” x 8 ¼” cardstock
4 pieces DSP ¾” x 4”
Scored at 1” and 2” on each of the four sides. Cut along the scored lines and trim tabs to create box. Before adhering four sides of box, circle punch a finger tab on two opposite sides.

PDF File of Jacob's Ladder Tutorial

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Mini Albums - Jacob's Ladder style

 Here's a great Scrapbooking project - I made 11 of these Jacob's Ladder Mini Albums for a 3D swap at the Stampin' Up! Denver Regionals in September. I made two different sizes - 4" square ones, like these pictures and some 3x5" rectangle ones, both with the stamp set From My Heart. I wanted to play with some circle ones, too, but just wasn't sure how I would make the box holder for the circle album, so will have think about that for another day. Here is the link to my Tutorial -  Jacob's Ladder Mini Album Tutorial.

I really love Mini Albums for collecting a group of event specific photos and leaving it on the side table for a quick flip. Also, Mini Albums are quick to complete and they make great gifts as well.

And the Jacob's Ladder element, well it's just cool! I can give you some instructions on making a Jacob's Ladder Mini Album if you're interested. Just shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment on this post. I took some pictures while I made these and could put together a short photo tutorial.

The cool thing about the Jacob's Ladder albums is the movement. A Jacob's Ladder refers to the flipping back and forth of the the pages. You can hold it up and the pages will drop below in a straight line. Then fold the top cover back on itself and all the pages will FLIP FLIP FLIP over all the way to the bottom to show the reverse side! Then fold the cover forward and the pages wil FLIP FLIP FLIP over again! So Fun! The key to adding photos to a Jacob's Ladder Mini Album is to adhere them beneath the ribbons on each page. That allows unhindered movement by the ribbon threads which in turn allows for the flip flop motion of the Jacob's Ladder.

The finishing element to my albums is this little holder. It's a very simple box that is just the right size for the Mini Album to be housed on your side table or bookshelf. It has thumb and finger cutouts to pick up the Mini Album as well. The Tutorial for both the Jacob's Ladder Album and the holding Box can be found on my blog here Jacob's Ladder Tutorial.



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SASCRAP81 - Way To Go - 12x12 Scrapbook Challenge

Time for the May Scrap Theme Challenge at Stampin' Addicts - SASCRAP81 Way To Go! - to scrap a page celebrating a congratulatory moment - one of those times when you say 'Way to go!' ' Great Job!' 'Congratulations!' Also, try to include a pocket or envelope on your page. This pocket can hold a letter or certificate, private journaling or even extra photos.

For my GRAND SLAM! page, I made a pretty simple pocket behind the large photo where I slid in a print out of the online version of a Denver Post newspaper. I made this pocket so that the top of the article is visible and it slides out the top of my top access page protector pages.

Here are a few close up shots of the title and the journaling. I stamped the flourish from Established Elegance in Soft Suede and Early Espresso ink onto the Crumb Cake title letters and also on the Natural Ivory mat for the journaling strip. I also add some sponged Soft Suede ink to the letters in the title.



Come on over to the Stampin' Addicts and share your Scrapbooking Pages!


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SASCRAP76 - Go Green

The Stampin' Addicts Scrap Theme Challenge 76 is GO GREEN! Re-use, Up-cycle or Re-Purpose something to use on your Scrap Page this month. If you're just not feeling the Re-Cycle, feature the color GREEN on your page prominently. My page features a touch of green and a re-purposed item - I ran some of the plastic milk carton through the Big Shot with the Snowflake die to make this embellishment. Before I put it on my page, I tested it with a PH pen to be sure the plastic was safe. 

Always Always Always test non-scrapbook items with a Ph Pen to be sure it is scrapbook safe. If you're not sure, or just to be on the safe side, keep found objects or uncertain papers from touching your photographs. Even tags and papers from a non-scrapbooking source may be unsafe - I was so surprised when, on the recommendation of a friend, I acid tested some super cute tags from an office store and found out they weren't safe at all!

Stampin' Up! sells Scrapbook safe papers and inks, if you have ANY questions about putting a product on your scrapbook page, just ask and I can give you product information about it.






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Mary Rindal is an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in Greenwood Village, Colorado.