Time for Tissue Paper

Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year's. With all this extra time off from work, I hope you had a chance to play with your photos, paper, and glue!

If you need of some inspiration to jumpstart your creativity, I would like to show you a few projects I have made recently with Tim Holtz's new tissue paper rolls. These rolls come in a variety of patterns, including text and music notes, and are a heavier-weight tissue paper than you typically find to wrap presents with - almost as substantial as a light vellum. The rolls contain several yards of paper, so this is a good supply to split with your friends (hint, hint, hint).

First of all, a few layouts. On the first, Rebuilding Ground Zero, I used the tissue paper as part of my background, reminiscent of newsprint. I layered bits and pieces of Coredinations Kraft Core cardstock and scraps from my desk to complete the layout.

On this second layout, She Thinks It Is Called the Mountain of Rushmores, I used a piece torn from the roll as a mat for my title and journalling. You can see how well it layers over patterned papers to subtley mute their brightness.
                                              
After making a few layouts, I decided I needed some messy playtime. I pulled out my alcohol inks, a square piece of acrylic (You can find several different pre-cut sizes in the store. Perfect for ornaments, mini-book covers, etc), some modpodge, my tissue paper, and some random embellishments.

First, I dabbed some alcohol ink over my acrylic block to give it some color (I used Christmas colors since I was making an ornament).

Next, I dabbed some Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solution over the block. Can you see the subtle difference between the 2 photos? In the one below, the blending solution has 'pushed' the ink around, giving it a fun splotchy look.

The alcohol ink dries quickly, so I didn't have to wait to modpodge some of the Tim Holtz tissue paper to the back of my acrylic block. I sandwiched the (very old) brown leafy embellishment between the acrylic and the tissue paper when I did my modpodging.

Once the modpodge glue had dried, I decorated the front of my ornament with some metal Christmas words I had in my stash, as well as some layered poinsettia flowers that I had rubbed with Stickles.

I used my Crop-o-dile to punch a hole in the top corner, tied a ribbon, and hung the ornament on our tree at ScrapHappy.

And finally, I don't know about you, but I often wrap gifts with tissue paper. I was curious to see how well the tissue paper absorbed ink, so I used my Tim Holtz Distress Stain (fired brick) to colorize some of the tissue paper. I also used the stain to coordinate the ribbon, and then I wrapped a faux-gift to put under my mini-tree next year. The tag is my first attempt at Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas. I tied it to the top to make my 'gift' look pretty :)

I hope I've given you some ideas to stimulate your creativity. Until next month, have fun making creative messes, and come see us in the store! Many of us will be heading to the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show later this month. If there's any companies or booths you want us to check out and post peaks of, let me know!

A Christmas Shadow Box

Hello Crafters!

It's officially December now! Is everyone ready for Christmas? I know I am. The tree is up. The lights are on. The stockings are hung. The presents are (not) bought and (not) wrapped - which means that it's time to play, right? Today we are making a quick and easy home decor project that is great for showcasing your ever-growing collection of Christmas photos. I've actually made 2 of these so far. My mom saw the one I made for the store and asked me to make her one, too. Which brings me to the next idea - these make AMAZING Christmas presents for grandparents. Just use a 4x6 photo of their favorite grandchildren with Santa, wrap it up, and Voila! Santa pictures on Gramma's desk at work for her friends to oooh and aaah over! Perfect! (And it only takes 30-45 minutes to make! Quick, easy, and fun!)

First, gather your supplies: a 7 Gypsies shadow box ($9.95 at the store - comes in black or white!), poinsettia flowers (25 in a pack for less than $2! My kind of embellishment!), some Christmasy patterned papers (I used some from Theresa Collins, My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas, and Basic Grey), black cardstock, label stickers from My Mind's Eye (I think I've used some of these on just about every project I've done the last few months - I'm in loooove), a big, pretty brad, bakers twine (5 yards for $1!), Tim Holtz Distress Stains in Forest Moss and Antique Linen, and some Distress Stickles. (You can see some 7 Gypsies tags in the photo below, but I ended up not using them.)

Now comes the 'hardest' (lol - j/k) part of this project - trimming. You need to measure the little squares on the side of the shadow box and cut 3 squares of patterned paper to size (I think they were just under 2 inches square, but I'm not positive).

Punch out the 'December 25th' element from the Theresa Collins Christmas paper. It is very white. I wanted more of a vintage look on this project, so I used my Anique Linen distress stain to color over the white. My label is now ivory! Perfect!

I also decided that I didn't want the white dots on the Theresa Collins paper to be white. I tried the Antique Linen first, but then decided I wanted it to be green. Forest Moss worked perfectly. You can see the difference between the original white, the Antique Linen, and the Forest Moss in the next picture, so you can pick whichever look you prefer.

Next, apply a thin layer of Distress Stickles to the poinsettia petals with your finger. Distress Stickles work best with a light touch. They are designed to appear like glittery, glass flecks of color on your element. If you want a thicker look, let your first layer dry, then apply an additional layer, instead of making your first layer thick. While the Stickles dry, layer your 'December 25th' punched circle onto some black cardstock (I die-cut mine into a snowflake shape for a bit of variety) and then onto a larger punched circle of patterned paper. Poke the brad through your flowers, attach it to your tag, then tie some baker's twine around it.

Now matte a few label stickers on cardstock or patterned paper. Place about 1/3-1/2 of a label on each of your patterned paper squares and adhere into your shadow box. If you want to add chipboard monograms or other decorations to your squares, be sure to do it BEFORE you adhere them into the shadow box (Trust me. It just works better this way. Learn from my mistakes :)

Glue on your 'December 25th' tag element to the edges of the shadow box using Diamond Glaze or another clear, liquid glue.

Lastly, adhere your photo into the box to complete your project.

And now I would like to remind you that ScrapHappy's 3 Year Anniversary party is coming up next weekend, on December 10. We'll have a photo booth, make-and-takes of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, sales, and a birthday cake. Come shop and play with us as we spend the day crafting together! I look forward to meeting you!
- Cori

Thanksgiving Scribble Scrabble Placemat

Ok. So I told you guys that I would post my placemat once I had it done, and now here it is! It's actually already in the shop on the Thanksgiving table with all the other fun, beautiful table settings from the other Design Team members - so if you want to go see it in real life, then you know where to find it :)

And now, on to our project of the day... First, gather your supplies. For this placemat, you'll need a sheet of cardstock, as well as multiple coordinating strips of patterned paper. Scraps work especially well for this. And my favorite part - those strips of paper on the bottom of your patterned paper that have the paper title, company, and SKU numbers? Many companies are now making one side of that strip usable, and lucky for us, the Scribble Scrabble line is one of those papers with a usable strip!

Take your spiffy Tim Holtz ruler with all the holes in it (If you don't already have one, you NEED this ruler. It makes measuring equal spaces for brads so very easy. Let Christy know if you want one! They're wonderful!!!)...Anyhow, where was I? Oh yeah, mark some dots on your base paper at equal distances. I marked mine about every inch across the entire width of the paper.

Now take your trimmer and cut lines across the base paper, starting at each dot that you've marked. Make sure you leave about an inch on both ends so that you have a good support for your weaving.

Next, cut several strips from your other patterned papers. Depending on the look you want, you can either cut them the same width, or vary the widths. It's all up to you.

And now it's Back to School Time. Remember Weaving 101 in elementary school? We're going to have a refresher course. Weave one strip at a time through your base paper. Over. Under. Over. Under. Over. Under.

As you finish weaving a strip, smoosh it to the edge next to the previous strip. The closer you smoosh a strip to its neighbor, the tighter your weave will be. If you want a loose weave, just don't smoosh the strips too tightly.

And here's the backside. See the SKU and company codes on the strips? Love when I get to use every inch of my patterned papers.

After you finish weaving all your strips and smooshing them together, use some adhesive to tack the loose ends down. Next, trim off about 1/4 inch from each side and mount on your cardstock.

And here's the full place setting! Blessings can. Name card. Napkin ring. And placemat. Remember that you can find the whole collection, as well as the gorgeous patterned papers and stickers, in the store.

Happy Crafting!

- Cori

More Scribble Scrabble Goodness

November 4, 2011

Hello, Crafters!
Yesterday I showed you my Thanksgiving Blessings Can. Today, I thought I would show you some more of my place setting: the name card and the napkin ring. I would show you the placemat now, but, well, it's not quite done yet. Oops. Oh well. I promise to show it once it's finished :) Anyhow...Remember that you can see this place setting, as well as the place settings from the other Design Team members, in the store.

First, the napkin ring. Easy, peasy. Remember that red tape we used yesterday? We're going to use it again today. Use it to attach some of your leftover Distress-Stained ribbon to your burlap ribbon that you've cut long enough to hold a napkin. Staple the ends together to make a loopy ring. Punch a cardstock circle (or cover a chipboard circle with patterned paper like we did yesterday), and red tape it over the seam of your napkin ring. Layer another Distress-stained circle over the top of your first circle. Tie a knot in a scrap of your Distress-stained ribbon. Cover the top circle with diamond glaze and lay the knot into the glue to dry. That's it! Easy, huh? Especially since we were just using leftovers and scraps from yesterday's project!

And now for the name card... Cut a length of patterned paper (mine is approximately 2x6 inches - I'm just guessing here. I don't measure), and fold it in half. Ink the edges with brown ink. Cut a strip of coordinating paper 1/2x3 inches and layer on the front of your card. Choose a My Mind's Eye Lost and Found 2 label sticker, mat it on patterned paper, and attach it to the top. Add 2 brads to decorate. Write or stamp the name of the person who's seat this will be with brown ink.

Open your card. Cut a small rectangle of ledger paper or a piece of coordinating cardstock, and glue it to the inside as a small journalling spot. Stamp or write the words. "Grateful for:" at the top. Provide a pen so your guests can write what they are grateful for during Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, reclaim your craftiness (hehehe) and add it to a scrapbook page - Journalling Done!

Enjoy! I hope you have fun crafting your fall tables!
- Cori

Thanksgiving Blessings Can

Nov. 3, 2011

Hello All!

I hope everyone has recovered from their sugar overload this past weekend and is having fun scrapping their Halloween festivities! But, in case you are ready to move on to our next fall holiday, I would like to show you how I made my Blessings Can for this Thanksgiving. Christy has asked each of us to design a fall table setting to help everyone get in the mood, and you can find these place settings in the store if you want to see them in real life. I have been playing with the new Scribble Scrabble line of papers, embellishments from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found 2 line, Tim Holtz distress stains, and some super-fun dyeable ribbon that Christy has in the store.

First, gather your supplies. Find a can that you would like to alter. I had this hot chocolate can left over from last winter, so that's what I used, but any can will work.

Measure and cut your paper to go around your can. My paper wouldn't completely cover the entire circumference, so I cut some coordinating paper to fill in the gaps.

Line the edges of your paper with tacky red tape. This tape is AWESOME. Nothing sticks better. It holds everything. I love it. It is my go-to adhesive for ribbon, fibers, and chipboard, as well as for hard-to-stick items like metal cans.

Peel the red liner off and tape the paper to your can, being careful to line the edges up the first time. The Good News: this red tape sticks WELL. The Bad News: if you goof and stick it wrong, your paper may tear when you try to reposition it. Bottom Line: Be careful. You have been warned :)

Next, measure and cut your My Mind's Eye Burlap Ribbon to fit around the can.

Pick out what colors of Tim Holtz Distress Stain that you want to use to colorize your ribbon. I used Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Frayed Burlap, and Brushed Corduroy. Lay out the ribbon on your non-stick craft mat so that when you ink the ribbon, you can still use the excess ink, and it won't be wasted.

Dab some ink directly onto the craft mat. Dabbing multiple colors will give a multi-colored, dimensional look to the ribbon.

Swirl your ribbon around in the ink on the craft mat to soak up the ink. This gives the ribbon a nice splotchy, inky look (If you want your ink to be even all the way down the ribbon, then apply the ink dabber directly to the ribbon. Both ways work. They just give different results. Have fun experimenting).

Add a line of red tape down the center of the burlap ribbon, and adhere the inked ribbon to the burlap ribbon.

Add another line of tacky red tap to the back of the burlap ribbon, and adhere it to the can. Again, be careful to place it exactly where you want it to be.

Now go find some old chipboard or die-cut shapes that you have lying around your stash (you know you have some, right?)

Now 'color' your chipboard by dabbing the ink directly onto it. The more layers of ink you dab, the darker the color will be. This ink is amazing and makes it very easy to customize any supplies you may have.

Adhere your chipboard shape to the front of your can (red tape again - detecting a trend?)

Punch a circle to fit on top of your chipboard or die-cut circle and glue it down (glue sticks work well here - need to conserve that precious red tape!)

Pick your favorite label from the Lost and Found 2 sticker sheet and mount on patterned paper scraps. Trim to fit, and ink the edges with brown ink.

Cover your top chipboard circle (which I colorized with Frayed Burlap Distress Stain) with diamond glaze or other clear, liquid glue.

Lay your label sticker into the glue to dry (I added 2 brads to the label first, just to dress it up a little bit).

And now you're done! Once your glue dries, you can fill the can with your written-down blessings or whatever you want! If you go into the store to see mine, I tied tags to candy sticks with Blessings written on the tags. Cute Cute Cute!

Keep reading the blog to see the rest of what we have created. I plan to show my coordinating napkin ring, name card, and even a layout using these same supplies over the next few weeks. Happy Crafting! And most of all, remember your blessings and be grateful for all that you've been given.
- Cori

PS And as always, keep the comments coming! Let us know what you want to learn and know about!