July STARS and STRIPES by Groovy Deb♥

Hi Everyone! I hope you enjoy my first issued challenge here as I step into the new role as List Mom here at SOS! I have created this layout for our STARS AND STRIPES challenge:























I really loved the stars and the stripes in an unconditional way designed into the paper so when I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this challenge! My daughter is a teenage girl who likes to pose so when I stole, I mean borrowed this picture from her Facebook account I thought it would go well with the paper :)

It is your turn to play now! Go here for details!
Thanks, Deb♥

July STARS and STRIPES Challenge

This month the design team members will share with you projects we create using the theme of Stars and Stripes. A lot of us at least here in America will think red, white and blue since it is our American birthday this month; however this challenge is to use stars and stripes and that can be in ANY way you like! Think outside the box and please come along and play with us!!! You can send your submission to groovydeb@yahoo.com and then at the end of the month one person will be chosen from all who submit to become our guest of the month in August. We hope to see you!!!

Hello from Groovy Deb♥ It's Nice to be Here, Officially!

Hello Everyone! I am known around the scrapbooking world as Groovy Deb and it is a pleasure to meet you all! I am very excited to be here and hope that we can do many fun challenges together :)

A little about my background...I have been scrapbooking literally for 30 years. I was scrapbooking back when we used magnetic albums and cut things from magazines to embellish our pages. I still have my "first love" album, but my very first album was of my celebrity crush, Scott Baio. Sadly that was lost in a flood :(

I am a mom to two awesome girls who have birthdays coming up this Summer. One will be 17 and the other 8. I have been married to Kevin for 18 years and I drag him every time we travel to any scrapbook store I can find, lol! I am also mom to one lab mix and three kitties. When I am not hanging around here you can find me operating If It's Groovy, Facebook, Pinterest and Fiskateers :)

Have a scrappy day and hope we talk soon! Deb♥

My Farewell to Scrap Our Stash by Kathy

I can't believe it has been 3 years and 7 months since Scrap Our Stash came to be. And now here are 4 of the many reasons why I've decided to say farewell to Scrap Our Stash.

It's been a great 3 1/2 years, but now it's time for me to move on to pursue other interests.

I enjoyed developing Scrap Our Stash and it's uniqueness and am excited to know that it will continue without me. My initial goal was to make a blog where everyday scrappers would be challenged to participate and have the opportunity to SHINE and become Design Team Members, many times for the very first time. I'm glad to have played a part in inspiring many to GET OUT THERE and show their talent.

Thanks to Groovy Deb, this is not the end of SOS, but only a NEW beginning. My hope is that SOS continues to inspire and challenge scrappers at every level.

It's been great, I have enjoyed working with all my talented DT members, and now friends. I will miss you all. I hope to pop in now and then to visit my SOS friends and family and maybe even take a challenge now and then. Wishing you all the best!

Later,
Kathy

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Amy

Reader Amy submitted this beautiful banner for the June HOMECOMING Challenge

She said:

Hi! My name is Amy from http://www.amyscrapspot.blogspot.com/ (Where Scrappin' Happins!) and this is the first project I have ever entered into a challenge!!
On Thursday June 24th I decided that I was finally going to try making my first banner. The fact that July 4th is right around the corner helped, a LOT!

I used my CTMH AP Cricut cartridge to cut everything that you see. I love working with these colors! I was able to use the same shade papers, inks, embossing, it was GREAT! A lot of work but well worth it! I am not usually one to want everything uniform, as you can see I kind of like it funky! Scrapping 2 boys usually seems to fit with that lopsided look. Almost as if they are bouncing on my page. =) The B&T paper I chose, Superhero, really spoke to me for this project! All the little stars on one side and strips on the other! How perfect can it get?!

All and all, as my first banner, I have to say it looks pretty neat! I put as many pics side by side as I could. =). (Sorry for the glare, had to take it to work to get pics)

Bio-
I pretty much got this off of my Blog, If this isn't my Bio I don't know what is. =) I am a single mom of 2 amazing and active boys. I work full time and became a CTMH Independent Consultant since approx January 2012. I am really enjoying getting to know the products and finding that I have more imagination and creativity then I thought! With my boys I have PLENTY of inspiration and pictures to keep me busy for a long long time! For the past 7 years all of my pictures have just sat on CD or in a box and that really made me sad! I love taking pictures and what a waste! Since finding CTMH that has all changed! NOW I can show off my pictures in Style, MY style! What's better then THAT!?

Thank you very much!

Now it's your turn! Go here to see the details for these last days of June to also submit your take on the June challenge!

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Jean

Design Team Member Jean submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

Hi this is my second submission for this challenge. It's the front cover of a little book I made from some cardboard packaging to mark my "Homecoming" to my new life. You can see the rest of it at my blog http://apaintaholicsprogress.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/changes-book-challenges-zeusandzoebitw.html













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

Show N' Tell Sunday by Ange

Happy Show N Tell Sunday! Here is Design Team Member Ange...

I started out with Scrap Our Stash as a reader submitting, a little more than a year ago. I love the challenges here and that there was a fun place encouraging us to use up our precious stash on even more precious layouts and projects.

This was my first project after being invited to join the DT here:

I still love looking at it. That little guy makes me smile even when he's getting into all kinds of trouble. I do have to admit that sometimes I wish he was a little less mobile now, more like in this photo where he was still crawling. They get into less then.

Not a lot has changed with me in the last year but I do feel like my life has gotten on a race track or something. My oldest is going to start high school this fall and we've had a crazy month busy with sports and many other activities already. Not sure I'm ready for high school.

In the scrapping area I have made my first manufacturing design team as a Moxxie Muse. I've been at it for a month and am thoroughly enjoying every minute. Here's is my project I turned in for consideration for the team:

This photo originally had much more background area but I cropped it out, to focus just on my son and his sweet little hand reaching. (same cutie as above)

I'm looking forward to many more fun challenges here at Scrap Our Stash and hope to see all of you readers submit and join in the scrappiness! :)Ange

Friday Frugal tip by Groovy Deb

Guest Designer Groovy Deb has a frugal tip for today :)

I just have to share with you today how I saved my friends a lot of money last weekend We have a scrapbooking group that meets monthly to crop and on occasion we will bring in things we no longer need to see if others can use it. This time I brought a tote FULL of paper and I do mean full. At the least I would say there was 2,000 sheets there that I just did not need anymore. So even though the frugality did not help me financially it definitely helped others. It is fun to share and clean out a big space in my scrap room! Have a good day and hoping you enjoy!


Deb♥

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Karen

Design Team Member Karen submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

This LO is about our homecoming last August. We moved back to the UK after three years in Holland and moved right back into the house we had lived in before. We had rented it out while we were away. The photos are of the boxes and the removal.



















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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Mary Pat

Former Design Team Member Mary Pat submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

Hi Everyone,

I was so excited when Kathy emailed me and let me know about the Homecoming Challenge. I loved my year here at Scrap Our Stash. Kathy was the first to give me a Design Team position and I had so much fun. Thanks so much Kathy!

So much has happened to me since I left SOS. I have been keeping busy as always with paper crafting. I have been a guest over at Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker. I have a guest spot this summer with Jillibean Soup and I am currently on the Moxxie manufacturer Design Team as well as the Kite Tails Design manufacturer Design Team. I have been having so much fun!

For my project for the challenge I knew what I wanted to submit. We moved into our house 3 years ago and it took me awhile to finally scrap it. My hubby and I scrimped and saved until we could finally afford our Dream House. We were so excited to move in. When I found the Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker paper I knew that this was the perfect paper that I was waiting for to scrap our house. I can say now that we have lived here for 3 years it is still our Dream House.

Thanks so much for letting me stop by today! I had so much fun here at Scrap Our Stash! It is such a wonderful place to come and be inspired by so many wonderful and talented ladies!

Have a wonderful and craft day!

-mp

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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Sarah

Design Team Member Sarah submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge.  She said:

Sooo... 

A project about any changes since joining the Design Team here at Scrap Our Stash:

As an encore to last month's page about our Celtic Betrothal Handfasting Ceremony in 2009 I made a page for our 1 year Wedding Anniversary in 2011. When I joined all the wonderfully talented ladies here at SOS it was January 2011 and I had *just* gotten married. Now we're swiftly heading towards Wedding Anniversary #2. 

The wheels of time keep turning!

On our 1 year anniversary we had a nice lunch out, then since the weather was so beautiful we went for a walk in the park our Betrothal Handfasting Ceremony was held. We brought a pretty stone from our garden with us and placed it on the large flat rock we'd stood on to say our vows when we had our hands tied together. We also took some pictures... my favorite being the one of our shadows over that special rock. 

Page base is a My Mind's Eye: Life Stories sheet... part of the much drooled on, but barely used stash.

I cut a piece of white vellum to go across the page, it's slightly wider than 12" so I folded the extra around the base paper on each side. Dug out a Fiskar border punch (threading water) and punched along each edge and threaded the ribbon through. Ribbon is a Celebrate It St.Patrick's Day pattern of wee plaid shamrocks. When threading them through I flipped the vellum around so the stems are facing the photos each way.

Photos were cut using the cutter I saved that never worked right... cuts the edges all 'shaggy' which has it's uses... then I sanded them with an emery board. When attaching the largest photo I left is open underneath on the right so I could hide some journaling underneath. Journaling block is from Little Yellow Bicycle's 'Lucky Me' Journaling Tablet. I punched it with another border punch (leave it to weaver), sliced off that strip and attached it the bottom of the block, then punched the top again to match. 

My favorite part of this page is the LYB Clear Cuts Lucky Me 'logo' with the 'EST.2009' on it: The Year of our Betrothal Ceremony. The September is a rub-on from Bohemia. 

Will be slipping this page into the back of our 'I'm still working on it' Wedding Album, lol. 

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

See all the details HERE!

June Homecoming Challege by Tammy

 Design Team Member Tammy submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

I decided since my family is getting ready to relocate and find a new house, maybe I should use photos I have of our first house for the June Homecoming challenge. These pictures are from the day we moved out of our very first home here in Raleigh, North Carolina. The house has some very special memories, it was the first house my husband and I ever bought, plus it was the house where we brought two of our children home from the hospital as newborns. It was hard to sell it, but we just needed a little more space (like a house with a playroom for example!) In this layout I used both Bella Blvd and MME papers and embellishments. The blank chipboard in the lower right corner is for the exact date these pictures were taken, I just need to look that up! Now it's time to see what you can do for the June Homecoming Challenge!

See all the details HERE!

Frugal Friday/Tutorial - Joni

So, one of my favorite things to do lately is "wrap" bakers twine or embroidery floss around a part of my layout (around the photo or a section of patterened paper).


Now, I know that bakers twine or embroidery floss isn't really "that" expensive..but this concept evolved because I decided I needed the twine after I had already adhered my paper. So this is a tutorial combined with a Frugal Friday!!


So usually you would just wrap the twine around and around and around, right... so let's say you're wrapping a 6 inch photo (like this one)...

I always wrap so there are 3 strands on the top... so 6 inches x 3 wraps = 18 inches, plus it's also wrapped on the back...so double that and you get 36 inches. So 1 yard of twine just to wrap this photo.


So, let's move on to my idea...

So here's my layout already adhered... and I decided I needed a "wrap of twine" around the bottom red patterned paper, but I don't want to rip up my layout....

So... I lift the left edge - (let's call it End A) of the paper poke a hole under the paper..

Then I feed my twine (aqua colored) through my hole and scotch tape it onto the backside (so there is no knots)...

Then I wrap the twine to the other end (right end - End B) of the patterned paper, poke hole at that end and feed it through to the back... (Yes, I'm using a needle)

Now here is where the trick comes in... on the back side, instead of wrapping all the way back to the first side (left end - A) again, I just poke another hole in the the same side I just came down on (End B) and go back up there...scotch tape the back side to hold it firm & prevent tearing. (this eliminates the wasted twine on the back side)...

Wrap twine back to left end (end A), poke hole, feed to back of paper, poke another hole & come back up (scotch tape)...again eliminating the wasted wrap on the backside.


So this is what the backside of my paper looks like:

And the front side:

So the paper was about 10 inches long... and I used 10 inches x3 on the top... 30 inches and maybe 2 inches on the back. so 32 inches. If I had wrapped it all the way around front, back, front, back..I'd have used about 60 inches of twine....
I also attached a button just by poking two holes and feeding twine from the backside through hole 1, then the button and back through the second hole. -- Scotch tape again to avoid knots...
here is that additional look on the backside:

And here is the button/wrap from the front:

Then I also added a few more pieces of patterned paper to the lower edge and this is my completed layout:

And a closeup of the finished layout:

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Jean

Former Design Team Member Jean submitted this project for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:


My submission for HOMECOMING is another house I decorated for my NEW HOME. That’s right I’ve moved out of the home I shared with my husband and now live in a flat in a small town in Shropshire near to my daughter. My marriage wasn’t working and my health isn’t good so I made the decision to go before I was too ill to do it. I’m loving the peace and quieter lifestyle here, I'm near the countryside and the market town of Much Wenlock which was the birthplace of the modern Olympics.

I used another of my little wooden houses and altered it to make it into a key holder, in the hopes I don't have to keep searching for keys anymore. Lol. Hope you like it. You can see more of my work at my Blog www.apaintaholicsprogress.blogspot.com

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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Deborah

Guest Design Team Member Deborah submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

Hi, I am Deborah and for the HOMECOMING challenge I know exactly what I wanted to do! My daughter is at home on stage as a dancer and when it came time for recital she was pumped and ready to shine on stage. I made this layout to represent her favorite home place.



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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Sindi

Former Design Team Sindi Member submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

I did this layout for the June Homecoming Challenge. Not much has changed with me since I was on the design team. I do have a new blog that can be viewed here: http://smokeyscraps.blogspot.com/

For this layout I combined my two favorite hobbies: crochet and scrapbooking. The photo is of my sweet little great-great-grandparents. Thanks for the challenge!

Sindi


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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Wendy

Design Team member Wendy submitted this for the June Homecoming Challenge. Here is what she said:

I love when the family "comes home" for the holidays! I have such a wonderful time with all my nieces. The best part of being together is that they LOVE the camera!

Wendy***








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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Elizabeth

 Design Team Member Elizabeth submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

My bio hasn’t changed at all since I joined the Scrap Our Stash design team – I’m just a bit older, that’s all.


The photographs in this simple layout represent what means home to me. Whenever I go away for a while, the first place I make for when I return is the back garden/yard. I drop my bags at the front door and make straight for the back door, I just have to check what plants are in flower and what changes have occurred in my absence. This is the view of it from the window to the left of my computer – the best view in the world! And, as you can see, my husband and our cat, are equally at home in the garden.

Thanks for looking,
Elizabeth
http://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/



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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Wendy C.

Design Team Member Wendy C. submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

Here is a page I did for the Homecoming challenge.


We recently attended a family wedding where many family members from out of the country were able to attend. It really was a wonderful time and it was great to see the "elders" all together again. It was just like a homecoming. Everyone coming home to be together once again.


Wendy Crowe***


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

June HOMECOMING Challenge by Tiffany

Forme Guest Design Team Member Tiffany submitted this layout for the June HOMECOMING Challenge. She said:

Attached is my layout for the HOMECOMING theme. My layout, "We Are Family", features pics of a mini-reunion with my 2 sisters and all of our children a few years ago.


I was a Guest Designer with you in December 2011, and it's so nice of you to include me in this challenge! Thanks so much, looking forward to seeing the other homecoming layouts!


=) Tiffany
The Painted Frog
blog: http://bkfastattiffanys.blogspot.com


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