Princess Elena

Welcome to Unity's Friends With Flair blog hop. Start the tour here and watch out for the proverbial blinkie because a comment on that blog will give you the chance at a whole mess of Unity stamps! Not only that... there's a big sale going on at Unity plus free shipping. Check out this link for all the deets!

I liked pairing this sweet Suzi Blu stamp set (Princess Elena) with the girlie paper from, I believe, KandCo. The glitter almost didn't want to cooperate but I was able to coax it into the area where I wanted it. The sentiment is from the Dec KOTM. I'm in Florida without my trusty Copics so I used watercolor pencils and think I might just do more with them in the future 'cause they give a nice effect.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Oh Snap...

Still in Florida. I needed a card to accompany my niece's baby gift and I didn't have any baby stamps with me so I thought this stamp set went well with this adorable photo carousel I picked up at Pottery Barn. If I'd had enough of the tan card stock left over, I would have liked to double mat the main image. Oh well. It'll just have to be a thorn in my side.... Lol. I don't have my handy Copic markers down here so I resorted to watercolor pencils and I'm pleased with the result (with the exception of a little paint-bleeding...) The stamp set is called Picture Perfect by My Favorite Things and I think the paper is from an old stack by Provo Craft (the circles remind me of flash bulbs going off...)

Thanks for dropping by and come back tomorrow for the Unity FWF blog hop!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Catching up, Elena Seaside and WOYWW

If you're here to see a card:
I used my Elena Seaside stamp, some watercolor pencils and a sketch from the latest Take Ten magazine. (I'm such a math geek... I love to work out the dimensions of linear sketches and this one was fun.) I need to give a shout out to Suzi Blu who designed the stamp for Unity... I love her girls. You can find them all here. (And I have to tell you that Unity has great deals right now.... a free stamp for every $10 you spend and free shipping!) The dp is an old sheet from Sonnets by Creative Imaginations. I like that you don't need to fill in all the rectangles on this card with embellishments because the paper is so interesting. The sentiment comes from Unity's Dec '10 KOTM.

If you're here for WOYWW:

We're still in Florida. Apparently our home in NJ now has 8 inches of snow all around, but I"m not going to think about that.  I'm just going to be thankful that ds#1 is done with his 24 hour bug and the symptoms I was starting to feel are miraculously gone (I think the good karma that Bleubeard and Elizabeth sent me had something to do with that.)

My dh and boys love that crafting supplies have taken over numerous cabinets in our Florida kitchen (since, who cooks on vacation?) I ask you: when you see the big wigs' studios, don't they set them up like kitchens? That's because it has perfect workstations... hee hee.

The above photo of the kitchen counter shows several card bases that I made with my new foolproof sketch dimensions, the new mini SU catalog, Unity and MFT stamp sets and a cool tin of vintage office stamps that I found today at Pottery Barn. I'm off to make a quick congrats card for a baby naming we're going to tomorrow. If its blog worthy, I'll post it soon. Thanks for dropping by!

Have a wonderful, healthy WOYWW...
*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Frugal musings

Day one of Florida holiday.... Watched the sun come up over the Atlantic either because I had too much iced tea last night or my internal clock said "What? We always get up this early..."

Dh and ds#1 are happily off playing golf and ds#2 is snoozing so what could be better than returning comments on the WOYWW blog hop? I actually made a quick notebook by cutting up a 12x12 sheet of ledger dp into 4x6 blocks, used my office punch to make two holes, binder rings to keep it together and then set out to note what useful tip I learned from each blog I visited so far.

1. Use glossy accents to adhere dictionery or other patterned paper to clear buttons (like Stampin Up sells)

2. Find jingle bells and attach them to a card or project.... They're too cute to worry about how you're gonna mail the result

3. Use that Tim Holtlz rosette die that's waiting patiently in it's packaging (I don't have the right plates to use it in the Cuttlebug so it means pulling out the Big Shot...just do it and stop whining...)

4. Make homemade rice packs to give away (well, not this holiday season....)

More tips await you at every turn out there in blogland.....

If ds#2 will let me use his laptop to upload card pics, I should be able to post some new ones soon...

Have a wonderful pre-holiday day!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Cards, cards, cards and WOYWW81

Yes, back in late November I came up with the solution to my glitter problem with my snowglobe easel card. Using the laminating sheets for the circle worked out fine but it bugged me that I had bought the sweet treat cups for the cards and wouldn't be using them. So, back to the drawing board. I decided that if I glittered up my images and let them dry (for gosh sakes) maybe they wouldn't stick to the inside of the cup. That and, for good measure, I wiped the inside of the cup with an anti-static dryer sheet hoping it would repel the glitter and thereby not block my image. All so very scientific.... Lol. But it worked! And I decided to use some chunky Magic Scraps glitter flakes that I bought back in the pre-Cambrian era. I love when something finally gets used. So now (yes, now, in the eleventh hour) I'm finishing up the few cards that I was going to hand make and will mail them today. (Luckily, the sentiment inside my card alludes to a happy new year so they're not really going to be late.... hee hee.) Knowing that I'd never make enough for everyone that should get a little holiday check-in, I broke down and ordered a ton of photo cards from Shutterfly. The only problem is that if they don't arrive today, they won't go into the mail until early January because I'm off with the family on a winter vacation tomorrow. The way I see it (as only a true procrastinator would...), it's never too late to wish someone a Happy New Year. *smile*

Now I have time to think about the small furry animals that are making sawing and scurrying noises in the part of my attic that the exterminator can't get to. But that's another story....

Hope you all have a wonderful, warm, cozy holiday week!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Cutie Pie and an Ippity Hop

It's Monday again.... which means time for another Ippity H{ippity} blog hop. Go here to get started and leave a comment trail.... you could win a prize!

This was my take on the Ippity Hippity Hop Challenge #54 to make an easel card. I'm warning you... the mechanics of this kind of card is so easy, you're going to want to make it all the time! (Splitcoast Stampers has a tutorial here.)

I'm seeing washi tape popping up everywhere and since I don't have any yet, I thought I'd try to make my own with my Gurnsey Gingham stamp, Real Red ink and masking tape. I got a kinda cool result. Because it's sheer, I layered two strips for the tablecloth above. (When I stamped it, I knew it would have to be stuck down but able to be lifted easily after drying so I stuck it to some leftover plastic packaging... worked great.)

I used lots of papers from the Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 pad. So great that they all complement each other. A fun development was that the paper with all the letters on it helped me create my sentiment on the bottom of the card.  So Frugal tip #52: Punch letters out of patterned paper for a custom sentiment.

Four Ippity sets came together on this card: Farm Fresh, Party Hat Wishes, Quotes a la Happy, and Gurnsey Gingham. Other deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.


Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful holiday week!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Thanks a Latte

"Thanks a latte." That's what I wanted to put on this card but I didn't have the phrase as a stamp. (Hint, hint, stamp companies!) If you know of a company that makes this sentiment stamp, please let me know! I opted for a simple "thanks" in a gorgeous font by Stampin Up (the set is called Fabulous Phrases and has numerous other words in this font.)

The boy that gives ds#2 a ride to school every morning is a Starbucks fan so that's what drove the theme of his holiday card. I stuck a gift card inside as a thank you.

Frugal tip #51: Use a small line image stamp and some leftover scraps on your desk to paper piece a quick card. 


I love using patterned paper with words on them but in this case, I used a $1 paperback dictionary to add a circle punch with the word "gift" behind my image. Another interesting note: The bakers twine I used is from The Twinery (see link on sidebar) and the color is called "Cappuccino." *smile*

Thanks for visiting and have a cozy weekend!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Let's Go to the Unity hop!

Check out the Unity blog to start your tour. Make comments, maybe win a prize? Also...

Big sale going on over at Unity... lots of cool new co-brands, free shipping, discounts galore and and and... if you sign up to get the December kit of the month, you get a cool set of journaling spots from Jillibean Soup as an added bonus. I actually used a few on my card this week. In a totally non-traditional way, of course. *wink*

Sparky thought it'd be really cute to use the journaling spots to make a snowman. What a joker... never a dull moment with that cat! (You can find him and his pawprints here in the Hugs and Kitties set and the sentiment and hat come from the Dec '10 KOTM.)

Other details:
Paper: Snowflakes (The Christmas Stack by DCWV), Kitty (Danny O for K&Co), Crumb Cake c/s (SU), white (Staples)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Copic markers
Accessories: Journaling Sprouts (Jillibean Soup), Crystal Stickers (Mark Richards), Sparkles (PSX Design), Rock Candy glitter stickles (Ranger), black pearls (Kaisercraft), Gluedots

Thanks for stopping by. Now..... (if it's at least 10:30am EST)..... proceed to the blog hop and shop, shop, shop!

Stay warm...

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Sew Lovely

I inked up my new Sew Lovely stamp set from Lawn Fawn. As soon as I saw this set, I knew that I wanted to pop up the machine and wrap actual thread (in this case, bakers twine) around the spool and work it through and around the thread path. I like the way the dangling thread works its way into an otherwise empty area of the card.

You are just sew lovely for visiting... thanks! *smile*

Other details:
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Antique Linen distress ink (Ranger), Copic markers
Paper: Pink Pirouette (SU), White (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Lacey Squares die (Spellbinders), Crystal Stickers (Mark Richards), Pink Sorbet bakers twine (The Twinery), Ribbon (Nicole), foam squares (Recollections), Gluedots

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Holiday tags

I needed some quick tags for gifts that had to be mailed today, so I took some scraps and white cardstock and stamped a snowman from the Unity's new Dec KOTM and a winter bunny from Lawn Fawn. I came up with some new tips for you in the process.

Frugal tip #49: "Eyelash" yarn (used by knitters) and cooking twine come on skeins and make inexpensive fiber embellishments. For example, 550 feet of cooking twine cost me $4.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond!

Frugal tip #50: Lint rollers make great picker-uppers for stray glitter and paper confetti. (Mine was a holiday thank-you gift from my dry cleaners.... so my cost: free!)

Tomorrow is Unity's Friends with Flair blog hop. Hope to see you then!

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Snowman Sparkle and WOYWW80

(Click on the icon in the WOYWW sidebar if you want to take a tour of workspaces of the world.)

I thought I was working on an easel challenge for Unity but it turns out it required the use of Ippity stamps... my bad. Well, it was good inspiration anyway. I used three different sets on this card. The snowman is from the Dec '10 KOTM, the sentiment is from the Nov '10 KOTM and that cute little house is from a small set called Pixie Lane. (More deets in my SCS Gallery.)

The workspace shows evidence of this card being worked on, plus another project that got put aside until the holiday cards are done.

I found out that goodwill is alive and well this season. My ds#2 rides the school bus infrequently but apparently he recently left the camera I lent him for his photography class on the bus last week. His bus driver's daughter called to inform me that her mom had been taking it on and off the bus for a few days in the hopes that she'd see my son soon to return it. To return it. Over the years, he's left valuable things on buses and they're never seen again. I couldn't believe the honesty and good heartedness of this woman. Tomorrow she gets a card and special gift from us as thanks for being a good soul. I hope it brightens her day.... *smile*

Hope you're keeping snuggly warm during this cold spell.....

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Cool

I am in such a good mood! Dear son #1 is done with finals, is headed to see my parents for a day and is then flying home tomorrow. I get to spoil him for a whole month. Yay! (You think I'm delirious? Dh is over the moon. And ds#2 will get a breather from the extra-attention smothering he suffers while his big bro is away. Lol.)

I stopped doing boring assembly-line cards (again) to have some fun with a teeny stamp set that I picked up in Michael's clearance bin. (Card deets in my SCS Gallery.) 

So Frugal tip #48: Have a little fun with a $1 stamp set.

Stay warm and toasty during this arctic chill!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Expecting? and a H{ippity} Hop

How fast is this year going by? I just love seeing the holiday lights and I can't believe that in the blink of an eye, it'll be January and the lights will start coming down. So.... Frugal tip #46: Be present in the moment. Take a tiny break from the hectic-ness of the holidays and just observe the wonder and beauty.  There's a family in a neighboring town that puts up the most amazing decorations each year. The lights are everywhere and some actually strung high into the air. I can't help but grin from ear to ear as I do my annual drive around their street (with a multitude of others) and just drink it all in. It's a holiday highlight....

On to Ippity matters.... it's marvelous Monday and another Ippity blog hop. Start here and leave those lovely comments everywhere you visit. You know the drill. A random comment on a random blog will win a prize!

Which brings me to a second tip today that I've been meaning to add to a blog hop post. Frugal tip #47: Keep a small notebook next to you whenever you blog hop (if you're like me, I tour daily). Note one or two unique things that you like about the card or project you see on each blog and pretty soon, you'll have your very own FREE idea book!

I used 3 Ippity sets on my card. Just seeing the hen on her eggs in Simply Home and the preening rooster in Farm Fresh, made me think of expectant parents, thus the computer generated sentiment. I printed it on a label from Love in Return.  Since the hen image had no nest, I made one out of linen thread. (I just wrapped it around my finger a few times then put a large glue dot behind it and voila, a nest.) Peeking out from behind the image is that delicious doily die from My Favorite Things (That cool button is from MFT, too.) The grass paper is from DCWV's Photo Stack II and all the other patterned paper is from the Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 pad that your fave Ippity gal has for you. More deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

That's it. Enjoy the hop and the holiday lights!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Blog Hopping with Unity

Check out the Unity blog for the list of participants in today's blog hop and find out what to watch for because you could win a prize!

In fact, the Christmas tree bough that I stamped over and over on this tag came from my prize package back when I found the blinkie so... see?  (Want this stamp? It's on sale at Limelight Papercrafts.)

The challenge theme over at Unity Addicts is tags so I'm submitting this and guess what? My tag has a tag on it! Lol. I popped it up and tied it to the tree with a little red bakers twine. It was fun using Distress Stickles and crystal glitter to make the tree branches shine. The red grid background comes from the Cosmo Cricket Mini Deck Circa 1934 (which your favorite Ippity gal can supply you with).

Of course, Sparky had to sneak into the shot.... what a ham....

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the hop and have a cozy weekend!

Cindy (aka Scrapcolletr)

Who's That Birthday Girl?

I had to make a card for a friend's 50+ birthday and I decided to let her be 49 again. Lol. I used My Favorite Things (MFT) stamp set called "Who's That Birthday Girl?" and, here we go again, the papers that I have leftover from some baby albums I'm working on. (Even the frosting on the cake came from pieces of patterned paper.) The crochet trim is also a new die from MFT. I made the sentiment into a gift box using pink bakers twine. And the bling that I picked up I picked up in large quantities at a clearance sale gave just the right weight to the top of the card.

Frugal tip #45: Don't pigeon-hole your patterned papers. For example, sweet, soft baby papers can be used on feminine cards, too. 


Other Deets:
DP: All in One Paper Pad (K&Co)
C/S: Kraft (SU), White (MFT)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Copic markers, Antique linen distress ink (Ranger)
Other: Bakers twine (The Twinery), Rhinestone stickers (Mark Richards), Sparkles (PSX Design)


Thanks for looking and come back tomorrow for the Unity FWF blog hop!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

A tag and WOYWW79

I'm supposed to be working on a couple of baby albums for a cousin (and if you've been following What's On Your Workspace Wednesday for a while, you might remember that I started working on them many moons ago. Lol). And I am... working on them..... I've been cutting 8x8 sheets of patterned paper and stamping alphabet letters and cutting die cuts.... but my mind wanted a little challenge. So I came up with:

Frugal tip #44: When you're working on an assembly-line project, take a break and create something with your scraps. 


I read somewhere that it's fun to do this after you've finished a project. Use the scraps to make a quick card or tag for future use, but I say, why wait 'til your project is over? This may be too much to ask of someone who prefers a singular focus until a project is over. I'm just saying it's a boredom buster, that's all. It worked for me. I put together this tag for a challenge over at All Things Unity. It was fun and relaxing to punch out all those squares and do a little paper piecing. Now I'm ready to get back to the albums.

Deets (also in SCS Gallery):
Unity's Sweet Boy Jumper stamp - on sale over at Limelight Papercrafts.
Sentiment - Unity's July '10 KOTM
All-In-One Paper Pad - K&Co
Designer Blue Jeans pad - DCWV
Train border punch, scalloped square punch - Martha Stewart

If you're not familiar with WOYWW and you're a little curious, click on the icon in my sidebar on Wednesday and tour around people's desks for a little inspiration.

I wish you warmth and coziness....

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Ippity H{ippity} Blog Hopping

Welcome to another Ippity blog hop! Go here for a list of all participants and leave a little love wherever you go because you may just be the random winner of some Ippity rubber!

I've been wanting to ink up this yummy cupcake stamp (I even had to choose which one because this awesome set called Cuppy Cakes comes with two images!) It's fun to create different layers on the cupcake with patterned paper, markers, glitter and even aluminum foil! (I stamped the cupcake tin in StazOn on foil and paper pieced it.) Frugal tip #43: Use a household item in your projects (with a little "Where's Waldo?" sneakiness.... *smile*)

The happy birthday sentiment comes from another Ippity set called How YOU Doin'. But what takes the (cup)cake is this really cool doily die from My Favorite Things. More deets in my SCS Gallery.

I hope you're having a good start to your new week... this blog hop is sure to put a smile on your face....

Enjoy!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Lil Bunny and the Wreath

I thought I'd contribute another scene to the Unity Addicts Challenge #29 (fussy cutting).  This time it's Lil Bunny that's providing the entertainment. With Easter still some time away, he's got nothing to do, so he's messin' with the wreath again. *smile*

This scene came together as a result of my not wanting to throw away the straight pins that came with dh's new shirts....he bought them last week and I've been having a staring contest with the bag they were in because I dread removing all those pins and then what to do with them? Throw them away? I figured if I used a red Copic marker to paint them, they could pass for berries on a wreath image. Never again. They were fun to put in the wreath image (Unity July '10 KOTM) but then I had to cut them down so they'd lie flat and then they really don't show up on the photo too well. But, you know what? They were the catalyst for a card that I love now. So all's well that ends well. (More deets in my SCS Gallery.)

So Frugal tip #42: Before you throw away packaging, let your imagination soar! The pins, in this case were challenging, but I also now have plastic bags to store my stamps in, plastic inserts that can be stamped on instead of acetate and the cutest little cotton banners that say "Easy Care" on them. (Yeah, I'm certifiably insane... *smile*)

Hope you have a snuggly-as-a-bunny day today....

I'll be back tomorrow with a post for the Ippity blog hop.  See ya then!

Unity Blog Hop... hop... hop

Another week flown by but what better reward than a hop, hop, hop through samples of Unity goodness? It's Friends With Flair time again. Join in the fun from the beginning here on the Unity blog and keep an eye out for the "You've got Flair!" blinkie. Please make comments all along your path (we live for comments!) but especially where you find the blinkie because you may just wind up the random winner of a stamp prize package! And you only have to wait until tomorrow to find out about it. Just go back to that blog on Saturday to check who won. *smile*

I've had so many nice comments about Sparky cards that I can't stop making them! Today, he's in trouble again but this time it's not his fault. Let's just say that if your children are in charge of putting lights on your tree, be aware of where your cat is at all times. Lol. I used three Unity sets: Material Girl (on sale at Mandy's Limelight Paper Crafts... I'm just sayin'), Hugs & Kitties and the Nov '10 KOTM. More deets in my SCS Gallery.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great, warm-toasty-cozy-hot-cocoa-sippin weekend!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

The Card - Version 1, maybe

I usually have an idea for a card and just go with it.... wouldn't cha know that glitter throws a wrench in it? I bought my supplies long ago. I was going to use Stampin Up's treat cups to turn my Sweet Snowglobe SU stamp into... well... a snowglobe with glitter in it.

Let me tell you about me and glitter. Glitter wants to lounge, it wants to linger, it wants to savor.... I want the card done.... now. So I glittered up my image with my favorite tool of the 21st century (Sakura's pinpoint Quickie Glue pen) and I figured that the glitter I placed on it just before I glued the sweet treat cup on would just be good snowglobe glitter. Funny things happen when you assume you can just permanently glue something shut. I turned my new snowglobe up and, yes, the glitter made my little glued up scene quite pretty but some of that wet glue must have dislodged itself and reattached to the inside of the sweet treat cup.... unsightly, to an obsessive compulsive card maker like myself. Heaven forbid that I take responsibility for not waiting for the glue inside to dry. That card got pushed aside while I made a different plan. I consoled myself with the fact that if I didn't use the sweet treat cups and made the card a little flatter, I wouldn't have to spend more $$$ to ship it in a special mailer. (Yeah, justify it to yourself...)

Back to the drawing board. Let's see.... what could make it look like a snowglobe but without the bulk? Eureka! Single-sided laminating sheets that have been cut into circles the size of the snowglobe! This time, I glued and glittered my image and let it sit overnight (I could just imagine the result of smushing that wet glitter with a see-through sticker... not pretty.) I punched out the snowglobe image with a 1-3/4 circle punch, then used a Nestabilities circle die on the laminating sheet (I may try a slightly smaller size than Exhibit A above) and stuck it to my image. *Happiness*.... popped it up with foam dots, added a few other layers of die cut and embossed mats, a few little folding tricks and the easel card was ready for a computer generated sentiment and a family photo. (More deets in my SCS Gallery.)

My supply of sweet treat cups are making sad faces at me.....I may give them another chance....we'll see...

Gotta go make a card for Unity's Friends With Flair blog hop tomorrow.... I hope you stop by!

Oh, and Frugal tip #41: when making a batch of cards that require glittering, get 3-4 images glued up and ready for the glitter so that when it's poured over your first card, you can then just use that card to pour it over the next card and so forth. A little less waste that way. *smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

WOYWW and Happy December!

Wow is right... How did it get to be December?

This is unprecedented... I've never attempted to get my holiday card design going this early.... I'm usually a bit of a procrastinator.... but it looks like I'll be able to someday look back on this year and remember that I attempted it on November 30th!

My desk has the makings of the card. I wanted it to be a snowglobe easel card using Stampin Up's treat cups but my prototype isn't coming out the way I'd hoped. When I get it right, I'll post it. Til then... Have a nice WOYWW!

(Oh, and you may have noticed that the fold out table is out again. Holiday over, guests gone, satellite studio open for business again! hee hee)

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)