Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2 & July Challenge

Cake... yum by Kimmarie

Design team member Kimmarie said, "I had fun working with this sketch. I am making my daughter a graduation album in an 8 x 8 size so this sketch was a little bit of a challenge. I almost fit it all in. The supplies I used were TPC Studio Hats Off paper pack, Stampin Up Blue pattern papers, eyelets that came with my crop-a-dile, Stazon Ink, Making Memories alpha stickers and misc flowers.

I was able to do the sketch and throw in 4 eyelets to use for July's brads and eyelets challenge. My 10 year old daughter also scrapped with me and she did a graduation 8 x 8 layout as well and used square brads. We had such a nice time together. Do you ever scrap with your children? I do, but it takes away from the time I want to make something so I only scrap with them when I know that I can give them my attention. While Victoria scrapped, I played with stamps, embossing, glitter and flocking... No matter how many times I try, I cannot get the embossing done just right. I loved flocking. Anyway, enjoy the time you have with them. Take time to try our second sketch and July's challenge to use brads or eyelets. When you are done with your creation, send it to scrappinpsycho@live.com and Kathy will post your creation on our blog.

Thanks,
--
Kimmarie

July Challenge

You Complete Us by Amy
Design Team Member Amy submitted this layout for the July Brad/Eyelet Challenge. She said, " i chose to dig down to the depths of my stash of buttons, brads and eyelets. :) Some of those are over 10 years old! I used the Bazzill In Stitchz cardstock and instead of stitching i put button, brads, snaps and eyelets in the holes. Part of my title is also attached with a brad as well.

Amy

How about taking the challenge? Just complete a project using Brads or Eyelets and email a picture along with a brief description to scrappinpsycho@live.com . You could be chosen to be on our September Guest Design Team. Check out all the details in July Challenge below.

June Prize Winner

And the winner is!!!!!

Angie!

Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to: scrappinpsycho@live.com

Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2

Design Team Member Stephanie submitted this layout for the Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2. She Said, "I'm back to my old tricks again, doing layouts years after the event happened. I may have guessed on the year based on the clothes and the color of Ryan's ring (His engagement ring was silver and his wedding ring is gold. I'm pretty sure that ring is silver!) Also, I know that I missed the parade in 2008, and that I haven't printed the 2009 or 2010 photos! It's either 2007 or 2006 and I'm pretty sure we were all underage in 2006 and the other photos I have involve lots of booze! As you can guess St. Pat's is a HUGE street party here in Butte, America. It makes sense because Butte is a Irish-Catholic mining town. :) For this layout I used MME's Totally Girl stack, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, WMS stamps, copper ink, and emerald perfect pearls to pull it all together. I love the button in the middle of my handmade shamrock, it kind of holds the whole layout together! I can't wait for the next sketch and I hope you play along too!

July Challenge

Paris by Libeeti
Reader Libeeti submitted this layout for the July Brad/Eyelet Challenge. She said, "Here is my submission for the July challenge.
The photos were taken in Paris, on a tour I've had there 13 years ago.
I've used a key shaped brad on the cover of the 'envelope', a round brads on the photos and a heart shaped brad on the bluish dp.
Thnak you for a lovely challenge!
I'm so happy I found your blog.
Hugs,
Libeeti

Now it's your turn to take the challenge. Just submit a picture of your project and a brief description to scrappinpsycho@live.com. Your submission will be posted to the blog and you could be chosen to be on our September Guest Design Team. See all the details in July Challenge below.

Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2

Design Team Member Monica submitted this layout for the Scrap Our Stash Challenge 2. She said, "I really enjoyed using this sketch! I love creating pages with more than just one photo so this was perfect for me. I decided to use 3 pictures since they were hard to crop. In place of the fourth picture I put some journaling. I always have to have journaling, to me it's really important to document what the pictures are about. These pictures are of my son and neice in their Halloween pj's that my sister-in-law bought them both! Loved the pictures of the two of them"!

Take the Sketch Challenge - details are on the sidebar!

$$Frugal Friday Tip$$

Here is Ren-Yi's contribution for the July brad/eyelet challenge & Frugal Friday tip (all in one). She said, "When I saw the theme to the next SOS challenge, I was coming up with usual way I use eyelets and brads: center of flowers, adding a few in a row to add extra bling, adding them to ribbon, etc. But I wanted to do something different. So here I was going "Think Think Think" like Pooh bear. So while crafting on a different project, which included cutting out a cloud, I had my a-hah moment. Clouds are like "thought bubbles," which require little bubbles, but little bubbles remind me of "air bubbles," which led to fishies swimming. Totally logical, right? ;) Here are a couple of fun, *planned* elements to the card:
* Embossed the kraft card stock and inked the raised parts with a stamp pad (a technique I spied off on the very talented blog of Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps) to create water and waves
* Used wavy ribbon to represent water waves, which also breaks the area of embossed and non-embossed card stock up well.
* Used Swiss Dots Bazzill paper since "bubbles and dots" where kind of a theme.
* Frugal Friday Tip: Use your existing sentiments to make a better & punnier one. If you recognized the font or sentiment, you are probably thinking Papertrey Ink's Mega Mixed Messages. But if you don't recall a "Best Fishes" sentiments in the set, I say "Look otherwise!" *wink wink* "Father" and "Wishes" in "Best Wishes" are of the same font type and same font size. So yep, through masking and careful placement of the stamp, one can create a new sentiment. Tada! This does not always work, but always look for opportunities. Remember this card? I isolated the "N" from a sentiment that ends with an "N" (e.g. "Good Man" or "Have Fun") to write out "Well Done 'N Good Luck." Gotta get as much mileage out of your stamps, right?
And then there are the usual unplanned mistakes and how to "recover" hack:
* Used a Crop-A-Dile to punch out the holes and fasten the eyelets. Does anyone ever remember there is a guard? Duh. I had already glued down Mr. Fishy and the holes to punch out the air bubbles were absolutely no where near Mr. Fishy. Oops. So i had to relocate Mr. Fishy a little more to the left. Good thing when I adhere I don't push and attach everything down, until everything is placed where I want it.
* Mr. Fishy was drawn as a sketch on the scrap piece in an inked pen (my pencil was hijacked!), only he was too large. Oops. No big deal, turn the card stock around and start again ;) My Recycling 101, #1 Rule: if there is an "Oops", use the other side ;)
* So, remember the Frugal Friday tip? My third "Oops" and "I should have practiced." Sometimes concepts are just better in theory and need to be tested out first. The "F" was placed significantly lower, and it was not recoverable. Which brings me to my My Recycling, Rule #2: Cover up. So, now you can guess why there is a sentiment matted onto Swiss Dotted Bazzill paper. Shhh - don't tell anyone, it'll be our secret, yes?
* After (to my absolute relief) of kinda nailing my punny sentiment, I realized it stamped the sentiment crooked but cut out the card stock straight. Duh. Sigh. Groan. I was planning on aligning the matted sentiment parallel to the edge of the card, but it was so obviously crooked. So, if you tilt the sentiment in the direction it was crookedly stamped (in my case, i stamped it slanting upward and I tilted the whole matted sentiment upward), it's less noticeable. So you'll keep that secret, too, right?
Hope some of these hacks were helpful. Do you have other creative brad and eyelet uses? If so, bring 'em on before July 31st. A guest design spot is at stake, and let me tell you I had a ball with these ladies. Thanks SOS for a chance to play with ya'll and be a July Guest Designer."

July Challenge

Mother and Daughter by Wendy
Design Team Member Wendy submitted this layout for the the July Brad/Eyelet Challenge. This is what she said, "I love brads but really do not care for eyelets at all. Using them to trim a scalloped border, like in this layout, has become my favorite way to use up some of my stash. I thought about adding more, maybe some ribbon along the top, but decided that it really looks just fine as is. I hope you join us in the challenge this month!"

See all the details below in July Challenge.

Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2

Tiwanaku by Rachel

Here is Design Team Member Rachel's take on the Scrap Our Stash Sketch 2. She said, "I loved how it called for so many pictures! Thanks for the inspiration"!!!

Now it's your turn to take the Challenge. Check out all the details in the sidebar.

July Challenge

Remember by Brittney
Design Team Member Brittney submitted this layout for the July "Brad/Eyelet" Challenge.

She said, "Can you believe that I don't have one eyelet (and I've never even owned one)! However, I do have brads - and loads of them. For this layout, I used a total of 12 mini white brads."

Do you have any brads or eyelets? Why not complete the challenge and submit your project for a chance to become a Guest Design Team Member. See all the details below in July Challenge.

July Challenge

My Mad Martian Maker by Christy

Guest Design Team Member Christy submitted this layout for the the July Brad/Eyelet Challenge.

Here is her description:
My son recieved a Martian Maker toy as a gift. I really wanted to make the colors of the toy pop...so I chose a black background. I chose the Sassafrass patterned paper because it reminded me of stars. it also had a retro feel that reminded me of the "my favorite Martian" show. I chose green ribbon from Cosmo Cricket's Jack's world collection as a border. I wanted a space theme, So I used chipboard stickers from K and Company. I made the stars myself. Flat stars would have worked fine, but I really wanted to add dimension. I had just viewed a tutorial about making folded stars on the Scrapbook and cards Today blog. I added brads to one of the stars as an accent.

TIP:
when doing this, make sure your the tabs on your brads are not pointed at a crease...they will poke through if you aren't careful. To adhere the stars to my page in such a way that they would not get crushed, I glued pieces of cotton balls inside of them. I cut the title on my cricut using CK's Jolly Elf font. I love using brads on a LO. They are such an easy way to add a little dimension and interest to your layouts.
--

Now it's your turn to take the July Brad/Eyelet Challenge. See all the details below in July Challenge.

$$Frugal Friday Tip$$

No More Dirty Dog - by Joni

Design Team Member Joni submitted this layout in which she used her Frugal Friday Tip re: dried out paint.

$$Frugal Friday Tip$$

Dried out paint by Joni








So, tell me if this has ever happened to you?....
You search through your paints....looking for the perfect color to match your layout.....you find it...the perfect color.... So you open up the bottle AND.........the paint is a clumpy mess!!! This has happened more than once to me...and I was just throwing away the bottle of paint. Then I realized I was throwing $$ right in the trash. So here is what I do now!!!

Perfect color paint -- Actually opened the seal on a brand new bottle (ok, never opened but I may have had it a few years)


Yep, it's all dried out...this paint actually has some moisture in it...(some I've found to be even more dried out).


I dig some out using the non-brush end of a paint brush & spread it onto my item (chipboard in this case)


I wipe it all around with my finger (yep, finger painting....and I don't mind getting dirty!!)


Now here's the important step:
Put a layer of Diamond Glaze or other clear adhesive over it (this will keep the dry paint from flaking off.



This little piece was only for the background behind the little doggie so he wasn't floating off my layout.

July Challenge

Havin' a Blast by Joni

This is my "double whammy" layout. Used the sketch & the July challenge!!

I replaced one of the photo spots for a title box, otherwise I stayed pretty true to the sketch. I used Fancy Pants Rusted Sun line & added a few extras here and there. The sun/flower at the top left is just a strip of paper accordian folded and then adhered into a circle and then "pushed" down and adhered (it likes to pop off... so I ended up using wet glue) and then a fun brad in the center. This is one of my favorite easy embellies to make...usually it looks like a flower, but I kind of like how it looks like a sun on this page. When I was finished, I realized the layout needed just little extra "umph"...so I added the eyelets to the bottom dotted paper in random matching colors.

June Stitch Challenge Winner!

And the Winners are:




Sara for her layout You Amaze Me














and Angie for her Aubrey layout


Both ladies will be offered a spot on the August Guest Design Team.

Thanks to all who participated in our June Challenge. We look forward to your entry in our upcoming July Challenge.

Meet Our July Guest Design Team Member Ren-Yi

"I am a software engineer by day and a creative jill of all trades by night. I have always a project on hand that involves some sort of yarn or floss, since I've been introduced to knitting & crocheting 3 years ago through our company's Project Linus community event. I also use to cross-stitch in high school. However, in the summer I lose interest to work on large, warm projects, and my only creative outlet is usually the kitchen, where I love to experiment in both baking and cooking. That was until certain friends (ahem - Steph, Laurie, Belinda) had a brilliant idea to creating the "Swapping Sisters" group, where the girls promised to send me "kits" so i could create cards. Kits, after all, are low-key ways of dappling into paper crafting; i wouldn't have to own too much supply, just a little adhesive and basic card stock -- or so I was told. I went out to Michael's to purchase a Towbow adhesive, some Glue dots and a pack of card stock paper and went at my first project (refurbishing a journal for a boy) only to realize that none of the tools i had handy were any help. So somewhere between six months and now I have accrued one paper craft tool/supply/other vice after another -- and I'm completely hooked. Let's just say that my love for paper, ink and clear stamps have turned into a "must buy" list and "must do" project list. I love challenges and sketches, since they bring me out of my comfort zone and I get to play along with other wonderful, creative ladies. A last little secret about my paper crafting addiction? I bought a sewing machine because I thought stitching on cards is hot...But if anyone asks, the sewing machine was to hem pants for little people. Really. ;)"
My blog

Meet our July Guest Design Team Member Christy

Thank you for inviting me to be a guest designer on Scrap Our Stash. My name is Christy. I have been with my wonderful husband for 17 years. He and my son are the inspiration for my scrapbook pages . You'll also see quite a lot of our dog and our two cats as well. I drive them all a bit crazy sometimes because I can never have too many pictures of them.
I started scrapbooking about 7 or 8 years ago. My first experiences with scrapbooking were with Creative Memories products. A friend talked me into going to a crop with some photos of my son and the next thing I knew, I was hooked for life.I only started submitting my projects for challenges a few months ago. My husband ( and some on-line friends) encouraged me to do so and I am glad that they did. I love challenges like the ones posted here. They help me stretch my stash as well as giving me the opportunity to try new things. I feel I have come a long way since I started scrapbooking. However, I always want to do what I can to challenge myself and take my work to the next level. I'd also love to become a better photographer. I hope you'll pop by my blog and check out some of my other projects as I work toward that goal.
You Are... by Christy

June Challenge / Sketch Challenge 2 Combo

First 5K by Laurie

Design Team Member Laurie submitted this layout for both the June Stitch Challenge and the Scrap Our Stash Sketch Challenge 2. She said, "this layout consists of both the June stitching challenge and Robin's great sketch. I started out with my four pictures, found the background patterned paper with stitch lines and then knew I wanted to try out stitching each of the panels. I'm still new at getting a straight line with my sewing machine, but I hide that fact a bit with my distressing. I find it works wonders!

Now it's your turn to take one or both of the challenges. Check out all the details below.

June Challenge

Italian Dinner by Brittney

Design Team Member Brittney created this layout for the June Stitching Challenge. This is what she said, "Stitching is probably my favorite thing to do on a page. It adds a lot of fun texture without adding too much dimension - which makes it easier to get the pages in the album! These photos are from our recent vacation in Italy."

Don't miss getting your project submitted before the deadline - see all the details in June Challenge - below.

June Challenge

Hello by Ren-Yi

Guest Design Team Member Ren-Yi submitted this card for the June Stitching Challenge. Here is what she shared about her experience: "I recently bought a sewing machine to learn how to sew. In case anyone is searching for a entry-level with lots of functionality I recommend getting a Brother CS6000i. According to a sewing friend, my machine was very intuitive to use. I can't really make that kind of assessment since I'm a newbie to any kind of sewing, so I will take her word on it. Since SOS was offering a June Stitch Challenge I saw this as a perfect opportunity to get down & dirty with the basics of sewing. So off I went to design a card based around stitching. Other sewing projects were also on my mind and I was picking up fabric, when I decided that I would cut a little corner off and use it in my card. I thought of creating an easy shaped template to cut out the space, fill the negative space with fabric, backing, and poly-fill to create a cushiony, three-dimensional card, and add a hand-written sentiment on the bottom to give it more of that "stitched with love" feeling. Here is what I learned
* Do not use organic shapes as your first sewing assignment. Stick with straight lines. And practice navigating around.
* Read the sewing machine's manual. There is a tension knob to help adjust threading so that the bottom thread does not poke through the top. And practice various tension settings on card stock.
* Choosing the stitch length directly effects how easily one can navigate the curves. Practice in this would have also helped.
* Pre-piercing the sentiment with a pushpin or needle makes it easier to hand-stitch the sentiment.
* Use heavier card stock.

I am a little disappointed in some of the off-track stitching and boo-boos that happened, but as a first-attempt or proof of concept I think I managed to achieve what I wanted to. I will definitely try this kind of card again after I have become more comfortable sewing and getting to know the ins and outs of my sewing machine. Let's see if I can't give it a cleaner look then...In the meantime wish me luck on my pajama pants. Here is hoping that both pant legs come out the same length! What was your first sewing project? Any pointers?"

Now it's your turn - do you have a new sewing machine you need to try out - or have you always wanted to stitch on a layout - but just haven't yet - or is stitching on a layout or card just an everyday thing for you? Why not take the challenge and send a picture to scrappinpsycho@live.com. Hurry, the challenge ends on June 30th. See all the details below in June Challenge.