In honor of July being the Birthday of the US and the American colors being RED, WHITE & BLUE - the July Challenge will be: Something using the colors RED, WHITE & BLUE. Your project should have a combination of all three colors... As usual this is not limited to layouts - your project can be anything that has to do with the Challenge theme - preferably from your STASH. To take the challenge just email a picture of your Red, White &  Blue project along with a brief description to scrappinpsycho@live.com
Your project will be posted here on the blog and on July 31st, after midnight central time, a winner will be chosen. The winner will be offered a spot on the Guest Design Team for the month of September.


Can't wait to see those projects!

June Challenge Winners

I couldn't resist the bright blue colors on these two projects. Our Scrap Our Stash June Challenge winners are:

Rhonda H.



Sindi

Rhonda and Sindi will be given the opportunity to be Guest Design Team Members for August. Be sure to enter our July Challenge, for your chance to become a Guest Design Team Member in September.

June Something Challenge

I'm new to this wonderful blog but I'm loving it. When I saw thischallenge, I knew I had the perfect layout for it. My cousin and I got married a year apart from each other. She was my maid-of-honor and I was hers. All we did was switch dresses for each other's occasion which made it very special and sentimental. For this layout, the borrowed is the wedding gown, the blue is my Aunt's gown, the old is the DCWV paper and the new is the vellum. Thanks!

June Something Challenge by Sindi

Reader Sindi submitted this card for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:


Hello. I just found your site and wanted to submit a card for the June challenge. I saw that today was the deadline, so I realize I may be too late. This happy birthday card contains something old (the craft paper has been in my stash a while), something new (I just got the Bo Bunnypatterned paper the other day), something borrowed (I borrowed the general design from a card I saw online), and of course, blue patterned paper for the something blue.
Thanks!
Sindi J

Meet Guest Design Team Member Holly

Hello, I’m Holly and it’s a great honour to be a guest designer for Scrap Our Stash.


I’m from Queensland, Australia and recently married my partner of 9 years, hence the many wedding themed layouts I have been creating lately. We share our home with two cats, Felix and Villain, who keep us busy until the day comes that we have children.


I started scrapbooking a couple of years ago after a European holiday with some very flat, basic pages. It was not until I started blogging did I realise there was a whole new world of dimension and scrappy tools out there. My stash has since increased at an alarming rate. I get inspiration from my wonderful husband and family, with 9 niece and nephews. I scrapbook mostly every day, as its a good stress relief from my other life – working as a full time psychologist in a correctional centre. I also needed my own creative outlet, to keep me busy when my husband is off pursuing his own creative outlet as a guitarist for a band. However, he now tells me my hobby takes up far more time than his does! Oops!


If you want to come visit me to find out more, my blog is : http://harmonydiy.blogspot.com


Thanks for having me as a guest DT and I look forward to seeing everyone else’s lovely creations.


Holly xo

Meet Guest Design Team Member Lisa Nelson

I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I currently enjoy employment at a locally owned scrapbook store "Simply Scrapbooks". I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a modecum of artistic talent, which I use to scrapbook and make cards. I also teach a card class which usually involves making all the gals laugh.

Meet Guest Design Team Member Ange

Hi! I'm Angela, aka, Ange. First I want to say thanks to Scrap Our Stash for the opportunity to Guest dt and thanks for all the fun challenges to keep me scrapping! I'm a SAHM to 4 who keep me running 24/7 but supply the majority of my scrappy material. I've been married to my man for 13yrs and scrapping most of it, so my pages and style have changed and grown with the industry (along with my stash!). I really enjoy using sketches to help me start off a page, my lo here was created following a Nuts About Sketches sketch: http://nutsaboutsketches.blogspot.com/ I've loved learning all the different techniques over the years but one of my favorites is to add just a little bit of doodling. My mom tried to teach me that drawing on myself/things with permanent marker was bad, but sometimes a girl's just gotta doodle. :) Here's my blog: http://scrappingcompulsion.blogspot.com/ I'd love to have you swing by and say hi.:)
Ange

Pagerize Joni by Wendy Crowe

Guest Design Team Member Wendy C. submitted this layout for the Pagerize This Challenge # 11. She said:

I chose to stick with Joni's theme. i had one picture of my kids on the climbing wall. i didn't want to use just one picture on a page so I had to go hunting. I found this great picture of my little guy up on his uncle's shoulders. This was perfect for the title that was stuck in my head! Conquer your fear of heights! So even though the pictures are from different places and different times, they worked out well together with Joni's theme. :)

Now it's your turn to take the Pagerize This Challenge #11. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Tammy

Design Team Member Tammy submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

These are photos of my youngest daughter Catherine, who has these big, beautiful blue eyes. She got them from her daddy, because my eyes are green! Anyway, my "something old" is the blue American Crafts Thickers that have been collecting dust in my stash; my "something new" is the Echo Park patterned paper (or at least it's new to me, I bought the Little Girl collection a few months ago and of course it was still unopened, lol!); and my "something blue" is my daughter's eyes, well that and the thickers and some of the paper! I didn't borrow anything this time, so I hit 3 of the 4 "somethings".


Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Rhonda

 Reader Rhonda submitted this project for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said: 

The Something old, - valentines cards
Something New, - paper
Something Borrowed, - butterfly off the top of the shaker box
Something Blue. - ribbon


thanks for the opportunity to join in your challenge. I enjoyed it.


Rhonda
Bluecrayons
http://craftingwithblue.blogspot.com/

June Something Challenge by Missy

Design Team Member Missy submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

When I first saw that the June Challenge was to use something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, I thought "I've got this!" But boy was I wrong! I had the hardest time finishing this challenge. I changed pictures two or three times, pulled apart a layout, and then redid it all! I decided to just go with what I have finished, but I may mess with it some more later!


My something old is the Lime Rickey papers by Basic Grey.
Something new is the baker's twine that I received as a RAK.
Something borrowed is the layout. I found a sketch in an older CK magazine to follow.
Something blue is my background, Glimmer Mist, and ink.

Now it's your turn to take the June Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Sarah

Design Team Member Sarah submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:

This months Scrap Our Stash Challenge was extra challenging for me.  Renovations started on the main floor of our house with 'plans' to be done in 2 weeks, nuh-huh...

That included moving massive amounts of things from the main floor up to the Studio, thereby blocking off all my Scrapping Supplies. We started mid-May, before we found out how bad (old and nasty) the wiring was that all needed redoing, it is now Mid-June and things are still in absolute chaos upstairs.

I recently donned good shoes, long sleeves and heavy pants to crawl over the piles to do an S.O.S. rescue mission of some Scrapping Basics so I could get a few pages done. Really it was quite a harrowing yet also hilarious experience. An event I will have to scrapbook once the horrors of being mid-reno have faded. lol Maybe next year...

Luckily the theme this month was one I was really, really looking forward to doing and I already had a packet of stuff put aside for it: Our Wedding!
I dug out what I could then did all the printing and assembling at a friends place, too much dust and yuckies everywhere here, and thankfully borrowed her camera too.
The Papers are Die Cuts With a View: Lucky Me, Bling title is My Big Ideas, Rubs on poem by Kaiser, Pearls from the $ store and all other elements are printed including the scan of the actual Six Pence and the info card.
Been keeping all the Wedding Pages (so far) clean, simple, low embellishment and unbulky so they will *hopefully* all fit in the same album.

Full Page:
Up Close of the Rub On Poem: Up Close of Title/Journaling:Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge.  See all the details HERE!

June Something Challenge by Lisa

Reader Lisa submitted this card for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:


I have a card that meets this challenge, I will be doing this card in a future class, I used a northwood stamp (borrowed), red and blue cardstock (from my stash) and new paper (jillibean and pinkpaislee) and the blue speaks for itself. Smiles to all, hope you like it (i sent the out side and inside)
Lisa

Now it's your turn to take the June SomethingChallenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Alanna

Reader Alanna submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:


Here is my LO for the June challenge.  Something blue: The papers and embellies obviously ;)  Something new: Kaiser's Lullaby collection, and the prima flowers are new to my stash.  Something old: The paper flowers.  Something borrowed: The buttons - knicked them from mum's stash... alright, I'm not really giving them back ;)
'Thanks!
Alannahttp://scrapping-and-life.blogspot.com/

Now it's your turn to take the June SomethingChallenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

Frugal Friday Tip: DIY Embossing Folders

Design Team Member Christy submitted this Frugal Friday Tip. 

Last November, I was very happy to add a Sizzix Texture Boutique to my arsenal of scrapbook tools. Of course, what would an embossing machine be without the embossing folders? Since I purchased the Texture Boutique, I began to slowly acquire a variety of folders. However, most days, my budget did not allow me to purchase more. So you can imagine that I was quite intrigued by the idea that I could make my own.  I had come across the photo of just such a handmade folder on Pinterest. The Photo led me to a blog post with directions. Mel, the owner of Mel Stampz blog, had shared, in detail, how she created an embossing folder out of recycled cereal boxes and mod podge. So the very next day, I went out to the craft store and purchased the mod podge so that I could get to work.
  Now while I do have access to quite a lot of cereal boxes, I chose instead to raid my stash for some sheets of chipboard. I had a whole pack of this thick chipboard that I had purchased at the craft store. I felt that it would be a bit heavier and longer lasting than the cereal box. Next, instead of cutting chipboard pieces, I used some of the precut ones I had in my stash. Warehouse sales and Manufacturer grab bags have left me with quite the variety of chipboard pieces. The precut pieces are also thick and durable, which in my mind, would translate to better impressions when I used them to emboss.

The folders were incredibly easy to make. I simply used my embossing folders as a template to mark out the size I would need on the chipboard sheet. Once that was done, I cut the sheet and set to work adhering the chipboard shapes. For my first folder, I chose some chipboard stars from the rusty pickle. I laid the stars out onto the chipboard sheet, then used a brush and mod podge to adhere them. I did go back and cover the whole thing with a layer of mod podge. Very little mod podge was needed. The hard part was waiting for an hour so that it could cure. While I waited, I made another embossing plate with chipboard hearts from Maya Road.

Once the handmade embossing plates had cured and were dry, I next set about experimenting with a variety of sandwiches to use in my machine. I tried an extra sheet of the chipboard-cut down to size, a piece of craft foam, and also an old mouse pad. The results were very pleasing.

Handmade embossing folder made from Maya Road
chipbaord hearts, Mod podge, and a sheet of chipboard

The sandwich with the craft foam and the sandwich with the mouse pad produced the deepest embossed impressions on the paper. Some weights of paper worked better than others. I found a medium weight paper provided the best results. I also tried embossing pieces of soda can. I got a very light impressions which, though visible to the naked eye, did not photograph well. It seems that paper will work the best with these homemade embossing plates.

hand made embossing folder with rusty pickle stars,
mod podge and chipboard

I did try the recommendation of spritzing the paper with water prior to running it through the machine. I found however, that this caused the paper to stick to the hand made template. You can see the red fuzz it left behind on the star plate above. I believe mod podge does make a water proof sealer which may be worth looking into. All of the paper's I embossed were done without water though, except for the one. I tried it with Coredinations colour core card stock. Even with the water, the paper was so thick that a deep impression was not made. It does not even show well in the photo above. There was a slight impression on the star which showed through a little after I sanded it. I still recommend medium weight card stock.

While the hand made templates do not emboss every type of paper, I can still see them as a useful tool and a money saver. I plan to make some more and may even attempt cutting my own shapes or designs to use. Meanwhile, I have plenty of extra precut chipboard shapes with which to work with.

Do you have a Frugal Tip to share?  Just send it along with a picture to Scrappinpsycho@live.com.  You could be featured as a future Frugal Friday Tip.

June Something Challenge by Ren-Yi

Design Team Member Ren-Yi submitted this card for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

June is the month of weddings, and the rule seem to apply to my social calendar - two weddings within three weeks. One was even in Europe. I'll share pictures when I get all of their permission :) I promise...

So when Scrap Our Stash's June Challenge was to use Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue, I was really happy to hear the wedding theme.

For my card, I used new, blue cardstock from PTI, an old (but favorite) Waltzingmouse stamp set, and the idea to use that stamp set on a wedding card was borrowed from a friend. Ok, I realize I'm stretching that last bit, but you'll let me get away with it, right? ;)





I wanted to mimic background paper with a metallic sheen, and thought to stamp the chrysanthemums in grey outline, but brush the solid flowers with some pearls.



Lastly, I decided to emboss the greeting and one of the chrysanthemums in embossed silver, to give it that extra wedding feel. It fits perfectly to this wedding's colors - heh, I would know, since I picked out the bridal bouquet & cake (among other things ;) A few more blue little gems and I call this done - simple & elegant.




So, come join in on our Scrap Our Stash's June challenge. You have almost two weeks to throw something together that fits the theme. It does not have to be wedding-related. If you need more inspiration, check out the rest of the Design Team's work!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Stacy H-W

Design Team Member Stacy submitted this layout for the June Someting Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

I was excited when I heard what the new challenge was for the month of June. The challenge to use something old, something new, something borrowed or something blue really gave me a lot of different options and ideas.

I finally decided to go with "something blue". I made this layout of my grandparents and tried to make it monochromatic using a turquoise blue.

I just love this new paper line from Pink Paislee! I inked the white paper blue to make the resist design of the doilies show up. I used the same ranger ink pad to stamp the butterfly in the upper left hand corner and circles on the tickets.

I inked the white alphas I used for the title a turquoise blue and then sprayed the whole layout with some Aquamarine Glimmer Mist.


I thought the black and white photo worked really well with the monochromatic blue. I love how it turned out.


Now it is your turn to make a project for the June Challenge. See all the details HERE!  I can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge!

Be sure to scroll down, Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

Pagerize This Challenge #11

Winner of the Pagerize This Challenge #10 - was Joni.  Here is her layout for our Pagerize This Challenge #11.  Here is what Joni said:

Well, I'm honored to be brining you the 11th Pagerize This layout!!!   This is such a blast!!!    One of my favorite challenges every month!!!


So I settled on this layout I did using mostly My Minds Eye products with some Basic Grey thrown in.


I thought it'd be a good one because not only is the design liftable, but so is the topic.  


Hope you have fun playing along with my layout this month!!!  Be creative and jump right in...!!!  (and Conquer your Fears!!...lol!!)  -- Double click on the layout to see details and journaling...

Here is Joni's layout for you to Pagerize. This challenge ends on July 12, 2011 at midnight central time. Then Joni will choose a winner from the submissions. The winner will become our next Pagerizer.

Each month on the 15th we will post a new layout for you to "pagerize" (plagerize, copy, lift, steal) whatever term you want to use. The idea will be - to use the posted layout as your inspiration to create your own layout. You can "pagerize" as much or as little of the original layout as you choose. You may want to make a layout just like the one posted - or you may just want to use something about the layout as your inspiration. It's totally up to you. Submit your layout to  scrappinpsycho@live.com. 

Once you've completed your layout - email a picture and brief description to scrappinpsycho@live.com.  All entries will be posted here at Scrap Our Stash. The challenge runs through midnight central time on July 12th. The "Pagerizer" (in this case Joni), will then choose a winner from all the entries. The winner will be announced on July 14th. Then the winner will be asked to submit a layout for us to "Pagerize" starting on the 15th of July.


Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Challenge by Christy

Design Team Member Christy submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

We all have one...the layout you sort of like but are not quite sure of. I sort of went a little (or a lot) artsy with this one and am still not quite sure what to think. In the end though, there is a lot of symbolism and meaning behind the page (mostly for me) and it's another page completed!  There's a lot to learn about yourself, especially from those pages which you are not completely sure of.
 
If you are wondering what my son is doing in this photo, he is working with some wooden pattern blocks for a math class.  During part of the class, he deviated a bit from the recommended patterns in the books and began making his own design. I took the photo standing on a chair so I could get a nice overhead view. Initially, this page was going to be about our homeschool math classes which is why I chose this particular Sassafrass paper. However,  as I started journaling, it became more about my son's creativity. I had journaled on a scrap sheet of paper and so I was able to take the title directly from that.


Something old: Sassafrass paper
Maya road chipbaord butterflies
Paper Trunk black alphas
Pink Paislee glitter alphas
Something New: Cosmos Cricket chipboard- man with lightbulb
SEI Journal spot
Something borrowed: Page maps sketch
Doodled scallop border was inspired by a Fancy Pants stamp
Something Blue- Bic mark it in Blue Skies Blue
blue punched dots

Since the Sassafrass paper was very busy, I struggled with how I wanted to use it with this photo. I chose white acrylic paint. It allowed part of the pattern to show through a bit while helping to tone the pattern down. it also represented to me the transparency of thought. I had just bought some Cosmo Cricket chipboard which had this wonderful image of a person with a light bulb coming out of their head.  It went perfectly with the theme of thought and imagination. To give the bulb a little more emphasis, I adhered it to an SEI journal spot which I felt gave it the appearance of a lit bulb. The black colour symbolizes the openness of the mind and of thought. The butterflies and sequins represent my son's creative ideas flowing outward. I "borrowed" the scalloped image that I drew with a marker. I had just seen a similar stamp by fancy pants in an on-line catalog. Since I did not own the stamp, I doodled it as best as I could. Covering it with glossy accents gave it a little more substance, as did the hole punched blue dots. There is a photo matte(though it may be hard to see). I stamped a black, cloth like image under the photo. I thought it could represent the fabric of our minds.

I know that some of the symbolism is a little "out there" and not very obvious. What is important is that it was fun to experiment, both with the idea of giving a deeper meaning to the page as well as with the physical page elements themselves. So even though I am not 100% satisfied with this page, I am completely satisfied with the steps I took to make it and what I learned about my Creative process along the way.

Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Joan

Design Team Member Joan submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge.  She said:

I'm sending you my June DT layout, titled "Remnants". I've used bits and pieces found in my supplies, all blue. The paper is from SU and is mounted on white cardstock.
Thanks,
Joan Liddle

Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Tamara

Design Team Member Tamara submitted a second project for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something
Blue Challenge.  She said:

Here is my project for something new. I just bought this banner album by "My Minds Eye" and thought that I would scrap some of the photos that don't always make it to a page. It is scrapped simple but you get the idea. These are photos of everyone doing something silly. So here goes!

Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Yolanda

Reader Yolanda submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:

I have just found your challenge site and here is my first entry! Something blue is the perfect title for my page - the photo is of my daughter and her 'something blue' garter. I thought I would also use the garter as an embellishment and cut it apart and sewed it to some card, which I then glued onto the layout. thanks for looking
Jolanda

Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

June Something Challenge by Tammy

Design Team Member Tammy submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:

These are some photos of my family right after my youngest was born, she's 3 1/2 years old now! This was a fun challenge and I tried to use all four "somethings." My something old is not only my patterned paper (Adorn It by Carolee Creations) but I also broke out my Bo Bunny flex ruler, I forgot how much I really like that tool! My something new is my little baby girl, something borrowed is the inspiration from a sketch by Allison Davis (okay, I admit that might be a stretch for something borrowed, LOL), and my something blue is my Bazzill cardstock. Now let's see what you come up with!


Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge. See all the details HERE!

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.

Pagerize This Challenge # 10 Winner

Lea selected Joni's Experience Art layout as the winner of the Pagerize This Challenge #10.

Thanks to all who participated in the Challenge.

Joni's Pagerize This Challenge #11 will post on June 15th.

June Something Challenge by Tamara

Design Team Member Tamara submitted this layout for the June Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Challenge. She said:

Here is a quick layout I did for something blue. I am making a banner album for something new and hope to have it finished this weekend. I ran out of time this past weekend. Sorry, but I was hoping there would be some other entries ahead of me. LOL "When you first suggested the theme for this month, I knew right away that I had something blue to scrap. My grandson goes to a school where he wears a uniform and most of the time it is blue. I tried to highlight that on this layout. Brennan is so excited to be in first grade. He loves school and loves to learn. I used DCWV school stack pattern paper and thickers letters as well as basic grey stickers, making memories brads, Tim Holtz distress ink and Bazzill cardstock"

Tamara http://scrappinsmiles-myblog.blogspot.com/

Now it's your turn to take the June Something Challenge.

See all the details HERE! 

Be sure to scroll down the page - Scrap Our Stash posts something new everyday.