I'm loving my 'Presto Patterns' & Crop Nights

You just know when you've made a great scrapbooking acquisition when you've almost used the entire packet of mixed patterns up and are thinking about buying another. It took me a while to start using 'Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper', but I'm now officially obsessed! I have now discovered a really cool way to watercolour this amazing paper to create unique backgrounds without curling the paper! In previous posts I have sponged colour on and in our latest Demonstrator's Meeting, Amanda taught us how we can use chalk as well.

I really enjoyed playing with the products during 'Crop Night' whilst having a chat with the girls. For those of you who are not sure if 'Crop Night' is another language, basically it is a social get together where people bring what photos and cardstock etc they have. Using inspiration from each other and resources such as books, albums & samples, we all aim to scrapbook our photos. No experience is necessary to participate in Crop Night. I have some extra materials on hand to help things along too! Sometimes we create a storm and other times we spend more time talking and enjoying supper! Crop Nights are starting to appear on my event calendar and as they gather numbers, I will add in more sessions. Each Crop Night is strictly limited to 6 people including myself to ensure we have plenty of space and don't have to wait too long to use resources such as the Big Shot.

Did you know that you can dye trims & embellishments with Stampin' Up's Classic Dye Reinkers. I dyed this 'white' pom pom trim with Baja Breeze Reinker - very neat and easy to do! 'Word Play' Stamp Set is an awesome stamp set for scrapbooking quotes & titles, as pictured below and stamped with 'Cajun Craze Classic Ink. 'Baja Breeze Classic Ink' has been spritzed over the whisper white cardstock using a Stampin' Write Marker & Spritzer.

The flower accent was created with split cardstock, whilst the glittered letters were made with the supernova glitter and Big Shot dies as described in recent posts. The colours I used to watercolour the 'Presto Patterns' were 'Baja Breeze' and 'Pear Pizazz'.

FREE FOCUS on FAUX SILK Workshop INVITATION

This Saturday 29th January at 10am, I will be having a FREE workshop where you can come along and 'make & take' this gorgeous card. You will be amazed at how easy it is to create this stylish butterfly accent. I will also be demonstrating 2 additional cards using the 'Faux Silk' Technique. This workshop starts at 10am, finishing at 11.30 with tea, coffee and biscuits available. There will be an opportunity to order Stampin' Up! products, with a FREE Sale a Bration Stamp Set with every $100 order placed. There are a choice of 4 gorgeous FREE Stamp Sets ensuring there is something for everyone!

It is important to RSVP to this event either by phone or email, so that I prepare enough make & takes. I know you will love this workshop, and I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow!

Demonstrator Meeting 'Make & Takes'

We had a really lovely Demonstrator Meeting on Wednesday night, joined by some new faces and visitors. The amusing thing was that I moved the meeting back to my home studio as I suspected the meeting would be smaller in numbers given it was a Wednesday and the first one back in 2011. Imagine my surprise when 18 demonstrators came and the expression 'you couldn't swing a cat' was very accurate. Luckily the table in my studio is pretty big and we all managed to fit around it and created our 2 make & takes. The first card pictured above was based on a scrapbooking page I created and posted a couple of days back, featuring the 'Presto Patterns Designer Series Paper'. I will be demonstrating this card in upcoming workshops and there are so many techniques and good ideas, I'm sure there will be something for everyone to learn & enjoy.

The next card we made, I designed using the new FREE Sale a Bration 'So Happy for You' Stamp Set, which customers & demonstrators will receive FREE with each $100 order spent (there are also 3 other designs to choose from). This card is simple & stylish and I will be offering this as a make & take at some of my upcoming workshops (I do have other make & take designs also but this is just one example). Beginners and experienced stampers alike enjoy cards that are easily replicated, with the opportunity to put their own personal 'stamp' on the design. I chose the colour combination using the 'Color Coach', but imagine the many different colour combinations that are possible!

Our next meeting, which is the last Saturday afternoon in February (we alternate each month between Wednesday evening & Saturday afternoons) is likely to return to the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club and I'll keep people posted on that. If you like the cards featured, book a workshop and experience the fun of making your own! Alternately, if you have ever thought about being a demonstrator, why not come along as a guest to our next meeting to see what it's all about. If you do not live in the Brisbane area, there are still lots of ways you can remain involved as a demonstrator and receive ideas & training, so do contact me to ask any questions you might have.

'Look - I've journalled'

I'll fess up - my biggest challenge with scrapbooking is journalling and I'll either leave it out all together or use hidden journalling panels. However, I really want my kids to remember details behind the photos and in the case of this page, journalling is vital as the boys probably wont remember this far back themselves.

This page features 'Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Paper' on a 'Cajun Craze' Cardstock Base. 'Razzle Dazzle' on page 69 of the 2010/2011 Idea Book & Catalogue is the coordinating stamp set to the DSP. Instead of the larger steel rule Alphabet Dies I have been using recently, I switched to the smaller 'Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlit Dies', so that I could fit my titles on the page.

The accent was created using a chipboard circle covered with very vanilla cardstock and stamped using the 'Rock and Roll' technique using 'Sahara Sand ' and 'Cajun Craze' Classic Inks.



Here's a visual of some of the tools and materials I used. The 'Two Way Glue Pen' is the easiest way to stick down smaller die cut letters that I have found. It is kind of like a 'glue texta', with a nib that allows you to 'draw' glue on small areas.

More 'Presto Patterns' Scrapbooking

Following on from my last post, I have continued enjoying working with 'Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper', which allows me to sponge my own choice of colour over a clear embossed image. Presto Patterns contains an assortment of designs, including this lovely floral pattern, which I sponged with 'Blushing Bride Classic Ink'. 'Not Quite Navy', 'Blushing Bride' and 'Certainly Celery'/'Pear Pizzaz' Cardstock, made a striking colour combination, which I accented with 'Regal Rose' Cardstock & Pink Supernova Glitter Butterflies.

I used the same 'Simple Letters Alphabet' used in the last post, however, this time I covered the chipboard with 'Pear Pizzaz' Cardstock prior to cutting the letters out with the 'Big Shot Die Cutting Machine'. The striped 'paper' is in fact paper created with mini strips of all the colours I used. This technique may be found in an earlier post, 'A Christmas Card with a Handy Hint'.

Create everything you need

One of the very first things that attracted me to Stampin Up, was the idea that I could create any background, accents and titles that I wanted. I began this page with the very cool 'Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Papers' on page 10 of the current Summer Mini Catalogue. Having chosen the script paper, which is in fact clear embossed script on a white background, I sponged 'Marina Mist Classic Ink' around the page perimeter and 'Certainly Celery Classic Ink' in the centre of the page. I then blended these two colours with the 'Marina Mist' to achieve a graduated change of colour rather than a harsh line. I sponged 'Prettty in Pink Classic Ink' onto another strip of 'Presto Patterns DSP' which I edged with the 'Scallop Trim Border Punch'. I then used 'Tiny Tags' and 'Artistic Etchings' Stamp Sets to 'frame' the 5 x 7 inch photograph using 'Black Staz On'.

Fabulous Floral accents were created using the NEW 'Island Floral Bigz Die', which you use with the Big Shot Machine. I distressed each flower using a bone folder and then split each one into 2, giving me that lovely fuzzy textured finish on the pink blooms. The center of the fuzzy pink blooms was created by punching out a 3/4 inch circle, distressing, splitting in half, scrunching up and securing at the back with a dimensional. The daisies were created using 'Paper Daisies' from the main Idea Book & Catalogue with a 3/4 inch circle which was punched with a mini hole punch.

The 'acrylic style tag' was created using the 'Oval Steel Rule Big Shot Die' with 'Thick Window Sheets' on page 122 of the main catalogue. I then stamped a greeting from the very useful, 'Word Play' Stamp Set using Black Staz On, whipped up a 'cheats bow' and secure to the page with a combination of 'Crystal Effects' and Glue Dots.

It was pretty hard to rip the background page but I forced myself to risk it, inked it up a bit more with 'Marina Mist Ink' and rolled the edges back. I then filled the back with a remnant of 'Newspaper Print DSP", which I had inked with 'Marina Mist'. Easy!

Finally I created my glittered chipboard letters using the 'Simple Letters Alphabet' which is the Big Shot Steel Rule Die Set I have been using a lot lately. Before I cut the chipboard out, I covered it with double sided 'jac' paper, which would be the only element not available from Stampin Up - you might have access to another type of double sided stick paper or you could replace this with another glue that you apply after cutting the letters out. Once the letters were cut out, I simply peeled back the second layer revealing the tackiness and smothered with 'Aqua Fine Supernova Glitter' on page 141 of the main catalogue. I adhered the letters to the page with 'Tombo Mutipurpose Liquid Glue'.

I'm really happy with what I was able to create for myself using raw materials in the colour combinations that I wanted. If you don't feel game to try this at home, you can always stock up on the required products and come along to a crop night, where I would be happy to help you create this page.

Another Scrapbooking Idea to Share

Definitely not a 'fussy la la' (Ursulaism) scrapbook effort, this double page spread accommodates an impressive 12 photographs. These photos were taken in 2006 of one of our favourite spots (Wellington Point) and really needed the 'just do it' approach.

The small photographs are trimmed to 3 x 4 inches and the larger photos are simply the standard 4 x 6 photo. The DSPs are taken from the 'Blueberry Crisp' Designer Series Paper, which really is not crisp at all, rather distressed so go figure. Anyway, I created the fancy mat simple by tracing it from another paper I had and then inking the edges in Whisper White Craft Ink and embossing to set - you could also use white craft ink. The title was done with the same tools used in my last posting, along with the smaller sizzlits to create the word "Island'. Shock Horror - I actually was brave enough to display my scrawl and journaled in a white gel marker.

Result? My kids loved it so I'm happy!

Scrapbooking Pages to Share

My first scrapbooking 'Crop Night' on Saturday was lots of fun and a few of us recreated the page from the previous post. I used the remaining papers from 'Elegant Soiree' Designer Series Paper, which as it turned out, matched perfectly with a photograph taken of my sister in the early 70's. The beautiful butterflies die looked fabulous again, creating perfect accents accented with rhinestones on the larger butterfly.

I have a huge box of photographs that I am determined to sort through and scrapbook the most special memories. I have no intention of scrapbooking everything - just a selection of my favourite ones! As you can see, my taste in scrapbooking is fairly eclectic as I really love to experiment with all styles. 'Pacfic Point', 'Daffodil Delight' and 'Real Red' cardstock were the perfect canvas for my son's K'nex creations, accented with 'Bold Brights' Buttons and Simple Bigz Letters, which are Sizzix Dies exclusive to Stampin' Up!

I started this layout in Crop Night and finished the next morning. Small pieces of 'Nursery Suite' Designer Series Specialty Paper were used to frame, create accents and make a title for this lovely photo of my friend's baby announcement. I will put this layout in my 'People we love Album'. This is a library system outlined in Stacy Julian's book, 'The Big Picture'. I am giving a copy of this fabulous resource valued at $49.95 to demonstrators who join my team during 'Sale a Bration' before February 11th.

I created this cute pram accent, using a strip of pleated paper along with a segment of the scallop circle Big Shot Die.

These chipboard letters were created by covering scrap chipboard with Designer Series Paper and then running them through the Big Shot using the 'Simple Letters' Bigz 'Steel Rule' Dies. It is only possible to cut through this sort of thickness using 'Steel Rule' Dies. They are a bit more expensive, but pay for themselves before long as you never have any wasted letters or missing vowels again - simply make what you need.

I am having another 'Crop Night' this Tuesday evening, starting at 7pm and I'd love to see you there. I have 4 places available.

Crop Night this Saturday

Inspired by a layout design by Veronica Goh, I created my version with the gorgeous 'Elegant Soiree' & 'Newsprint' Designer Series Paper. A textured 'Soft Suede' 12x12 base with 'Baja Breeze' Butterfly Accents, cut with Stampin' Up!s exclusive 'Beautiful Butterflies' Bigz Big Shot Die, demonstrate perfectly why Stampin' Up! are the masters of coordination.

Come along and CASE (copy and share everything) this elegant layout this Saturday night at my first Crop Night of 2011. Limited to 6 people and starting at 7pm, Crop Night is $10 and includes use of tools such as the Big Shot as well as a light supper. Check out the following link to view all my events for January, February and March http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lizcollett/events

RSVP via email liz@danichbe.com