Friends with Flair....shhh.... a little early....

I'm determined not to miss posting on Unity's Friends with Flair Friday so here I am, early this time.

After decades of racking our gift-giving brains, my family seems to have come to the conclusion that gift cards and cash are the most fun. I try to design my cards around that thought sometimes. So in honor of my middle brother's 50th, a Ulysses S. Grant bill is tucked into his card in a fun way. Here's how.

I started by stamping my Unity wood slide postcard stamp on a parchment looking paper from DCWV's Once Upon a Time Stack. I then embellished it with two stamps from the June '11 KOTM (All Smiles): the cancelled stamp and the "sending wishes" block.

The fun part came from cutting out the inside of the cancelled stamp. By using foam tape only around three of the back edges of my postcard, I could insert a precisely folded bill back there so that Ulysses' face peeks out of the hole and he appears to be the stamp. The dilemma was what would happen once my bro removed the bill? I didn't want an empty space to show so I positioned more of my K&Co patterned paper underneath so that another postal stamp image would appear once Ulysses was gone, like so:

In keeping with the postal theme, I used a little twine on the lower panel of my easel card so it looks like a package. Adding the bevy of small butterflies from the Nov '10 KOTM (Picture Perfect) and the larger butterfly from the March '11 KOTM (Just You) gave a little more interest to the scene and, what do you know, now the card qualifies for the All Things Unity Challenge #34... *smile*

This weekend, I wish you packages tied up with string and a fun-filled holiday!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

WOYWW#108 and WOTT#12

Hi friends....

Welcome to WOYWW #108 (What's on Your Workspace Wednesday) and WOTT #12 (What's on Tap Tuesday) Talk about 3 birds with one stone... today I will be (1) showing you what's been on my desk for the past two days (yes, there is a desk under there), (2) showing you the card I made for the All Things Unity Challenge #34 and (3) giving you the tutorial link for this fabulous telescoping card which my friend Understand Blue tweeted about.

The desk is showing the tools I used to make the card. Unity's June '11 KOTM, Spellbinders circle and scallop dies and The Girls Paperie kit that I recently picked up at www.scrapbooksteals.com. This site has two different greatly reduced deals per day and I lucked out at getting this one before it sold out. I'm amazed at all the product I got in the kit (the cute little words on my card came from this kit as well.) This site, as well as it's sister sites CraftySteals and StitchSteals should be bookmarked, for sure.

The ATU Challenge was to use a butterfly on a project, so my card starts off with a small circle decorated with a butterfly from the March '11 KOTM - Just You. It then opens to reveal a larger circle of yellow gingham that's been stamped with a lovely image from the KOTM you see on my desk called All Smiles and colored in with Copics. I like to leave an area for a handwritten note on my cards so the third circle is blank. 

I promised a link to the tutorial, so HERE it is. It's very straight forward and comes together pretty quickly. 


Question of the day: What's your favorite method of coloring your images? I seem to reach for my Copic markers often (but I'd love to hear if anyone has had any experience with Pro Markers, a lower priced competitor.)


Your turn. Won't you show us what's on tap in your crafty space? 


Have a wonderful week.... *smile*


Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr) 

Get Well Roses...

Hello friends,

My Let's Get Peachy assignment was to create a "how-to" for National Rose Month so that's the theme of today's card post. A friend is recuperating from surgery so I made a get well easel card featuring three rolled fabric roses positioned in a cute pitcher by Unity.

SUPPLIES: Stamps (pitcher from Unity's Happy Everything, sentiment from Ippity's How You Doin'), Ink (Tuxedo Black by Memento and Copic markers), Paper ( Kimberly Hodges stack for K&Co.), Other (oval and scalloped oval punches -Stampin Up)

If you'd like to see the step by step instructions for making these flowers, click HERE to hop over to the LGP blog. It's a pretty simple process. I hope you are inspired to try it for yourself!

Have a great day,

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

WOTT #11

"When man makes plans, the Gods laugh." So goes the ancient proverb. I planned on pre-posting a What's on Tap Tuesday post before leaving for vacation but...ran out of time, sorry. Yesterday, I did get to visit a cool scrapbook store called Scrapology outside Austin, Texas, so I am in the mindset *smile*

If you'd like to share your workspace with us this week, please use the comment field to let us know your web address and, I for one, will come visit.

Have a great week. WOTT will be back with Mr. Linky next week.

*smile*

Cindy

Kenny Chesney and Paying It Forward

Hi! Quick post because I should be packing for a trip.... gonna go see my family in Texas and it's perfect timing because we'll get to celebrate Father's Day with my dad and see our son who's staying at school to work this summer. I decided to give my dad the birthday card that I made and featured in THIS blog post. You gotta agree, it's pretty untraditional for a man's birthday! I tell him in the note that if he ever wanted a cat, he now has one. Lol.

Oh gee, what's that on my wrist? Yep, we saw Kenny Chesney in concert in Philly last night. I don't know how the man does it. He was the one jumping around the stage entertaining us to no end and I was just non-stop dancing and I was exhausted by the end.... I wonder how he felt! If you've never experienced him, try to.... he's wonderful. He's also a generous soul. He went on with a planned concert in Tuscaloosa after a devastating tornado at the urging of their mayor and then donated all the proceeds of the night to the city.

So now, the question is: would you spend $11 to donate scrapbooking supplies to the people of Joplin, MO? That's what it would cost you to send a Medium Flat Rate Priority USPS box to Nikki Sivils, a well-know and respected designer who's collecting supplies for the crafters of Joplin who lost everything. The link to her blog post that will give you the address where you can send a box is HERE. (Just click on the ad she has within the post.) She was hoping to get the donations to Joplin by the first week of July, so if you mail a box in the next few days of supplies that you can spare, she'll get them on time.

I hope you consider contributing to this worthy cause. We can all be Kenny Chesneys in our own way.

Love,

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Huffin' and puffin' to FWF....

Another FWF down to the wire.... Unity Friends with Flair blog hop, that is...

I have to make this short because I literally have minutes to post this. I wanted to make something special for my husband for Father's Day so I used a tutorial from Splitcoast for an accordian card. (You can find it HERE.) We have two boys, so I thought that the four inside pages could be good for a baby picture of each and a current picture of each. It was fun to make but I was a little like that woman in the car rental commercial running down the airport corridors to get to her rental car company before it closed. So, I'm running. The front cover used the heart and sentiment from the May '11 KOTM. (It was serendipity that the definition in the top right corner of my front cover says "father." *smile*) The cool papers come from the Designer Blue Jeans paper stack by DCWV. And the key charm is Stampin Up.

Thanks for looking.. Wishing all a Happy Father's Day weekend!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

WOYWW #106, WOTT #10 and a birthday bouquet...

Welcome to What's on Your Workspace Wednesday and What's on Tap Tuesday #10, where we share our desks and projects. Today, I'm working on a quick card for another aunt's birthday. To change it up a little, I went back to a friend's tutorial for a box-arm card. You'll see from the side view below that this card has little hidden arms that hold two panels out from the base, yet the card folds flat for mailing. You can find Emma's tutorial on the sidebar of her blog HERE. Try it out because it's a lot simpler than it seems.

On the desk before I started working on the card, you'll see the patterned collage paper that I chose from a Romantic Scrap Pad by Provo Craft, cardstock by Stampin Up, the printed tutorial and the latest Creating Keepsakes magazine (inspiration for a quick layout for my July DT assignment over at Let's Get Peachy.) Plus tons of scrap layers under my trimmer on the right. They come in handy when I need a quick something. Actually, a scrap of grid paper that I stamped my sentiment on came from that pile. Lol.

The sentiment came from a Unity store set called The Right Words and that adorable little tag tied on with Cappuccino bakers twine (The Twinery) was constructed using a Tiny Tags stamp set and matching punch by Stampin' Up. (Highlighted words link you to all the sources.) You probably can't see it but I used pop dots to raise certain flowers after cutting them out of a second image and then I added a little glitter to their centers as well as the word "birthday." I hope you like the result.

Now it's your turn. Won't you show us what's doing on your work area by linking in below? Also, if you'd like to share further, tell us in the comment field what your first crafting tool purchase was and whether you still use it. My answer: I bought a Xyron 850 from QVC and liked it so much, I went on to collect all the other sizes!

Have a great Wednesday, friends.....

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Got playground?

The playground paper was still out so I had to use it with a new set I just got from Stampin' Up called Recess. These kids are so cute and energetic. I paired them with a sentiment stamp I have from a My Favorite Things set called "Start the Day with Whee." The tree is a Unity single called Carefree Moments Oak. (The highlighted words will link you to those products.) The two patterned papers I used come from The Grade School paper pack by Die Cuts With a View.

If you've come looking for the random winner of Friday's blog candy.... (drum roll please)..... the winner is Gwen! She and a few others guessed correctly that Jane was missing a sock. (I didn't stage this, the stamp designer must have been in a hurry, too! Lol.) Gimme an email shout, Gwen, so I can get some goodies out to you.

I hope everyone has a nice Sunday night. I'm heading to the airport soon because son #2 is off to Spain tonight with a school group. Ahh, too be young again! I'm happy just watching the Tony awards tonight. Lol.

Remember to visit again on Tuesday for What's on Tap Tuesday.

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Fun with Jane and FWF

Welcome to another week of Friends with Flair over at Unity. There's a new Kit of the Month and lots of other cool stamps to check out, so be sure to bookmark their SITE so you can peruse it at your leisure....

School is out and I'm reminded of the carefree days of summer when a playground was all you needed for a fun afternoon. This cute little girl reminds me of Jane from the Dick and Jane books of my childhood. She seems to be having quite the time, running with her jump rope! But wait, something is wrong with this image. Let me know in the comment field if you can see what she forgot to do this morning when she was in such a rush. I'll randomly choose one correct answer on Sunday for a little blog candy prize. Jane and the word block come from the Cosmo Cricket DeLovely Childhood stamp set that I was happy to find while cruising through Unity's website. I couldn't resist adding red baker's twine to my image. The playground paper comes from the Grade School Stack by DCWV and the flowery mat paper is from Stampin Up's retired Springtime Vintage designer series (but there are lots more cool paper series HERE.)

If you're unfamiliar with my obsession with tri-shutter cards, then I should tell you that I created a tutorial for a version much like this one and you can find a link for it on the left sidebar.

Jump HERE if you'd like to hop through all of the FWF blogs today.

I hope you have a wonderful start of your summer!

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr and @scrapcollectr on Twitter)

WOYWW#105 and WOTT#9... sometimes a simple card is enough

Hello friends and welcome to What's on Your Workspace Wednesday and What's on Tap Tuesday. I hope you'll share with us by linking in at the bottom of this post.

My desk is its usual mess, but a happy mess. In the center, you'll see the materials I took out to make a simple card. If you look to the far left of my desk, you'll see some Unity stamps that just came today and they're waiting patiently to be part of a card for the Friday Friends with Flair blog hop.

Now, before I reveal the card, I want to quickly step you through a cool contraption for making bows. A friend gave me this wooden block and pegs that she picked up as a set at Michaels for $2. Yep, $2! It's meant to be used for displaying words/names formed with wooden letters attached to the pegs. My friend suggests using it to make bows like this instead.

First, put two pegs in. (Play with the distance between the pegs to make different sized bows.)

Second, wrap your ribbon around the pegs.

Third, cross the ribbons and take one end around to the back.

Fourth, tie a knot with the two ends.

Slip the bow off the pegs and voila, a pretty bow ready to use on your project.

As for me, I made the simplest of cards. I needed an end-of-school thank you card for my son's bus driver and I remembered seeing a glittery paper with school buses all over it somewhere in my stash so I hunted it down. It comes from a Glitter Pack by My Mind's Eye. I couldn't bear to hide the glittered buses behind other panels so I kept it simple. Just a ribbon across it and a label with the sentiment "Thank You" in Spanish. The bus driver doesn't speak much English so I was lucky that this Spanish sentiment was a little bonus I got when I received a recent order from Lawn Fawn. It worked perfectly with the Stampin' Up label stamp and punch.

Thanks for dropping by. Like I said, if you're interested in sharing with us, use the linky below. Have a great day!

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

A Birthday Log for Friends With Flair

Welcome to Unity's Friends With Flair blog hop. I've been absent for a couple of weeks because I missed the cutoff for various reasons so if you ever miss me on the Friday list, check my blog... lol..... I've probably got some Unity to share.

Lots of sales going on at Unity, check HERE for the latest and greatest.

I have a Pay It Forward project this week for a friend that's playing along with me. I decided to decorate the monthly Birthday Log that I made her with Unity stamps. I laminated the front and back covers so that they wouldn't suffer from wear and tear and I used the glamour girl stamp from the Mar '11 KOTM. The papers are from an old kit by Sweetwater.

JANUARY (Mittens from Oct '10 KOTM)

FEBRUARY (Hearts from Nov '10 KOTM)

MARCH (Plant from Jan '10 KOTM)

APRIL (Galoshes from Dec '10 KOTM)

MAY (Butterfly from Mar '11 KOTM)

JUNE (Cones from Mar '11 KOTM)

JULY (Glasses from Retro BBQ)

AUGUST (Swimsuit from It Suits You - a Jillibean Itty Bitty)

SEPTEMBER (Books from Ippity Books a' Flutter)

OCTOBER (Scarecrow from source unknown)

NOVEMBER (Pumpkins from Sept '10 KOTM)

DECEMBER (Snowman from Dec '10 KOTM)

Thanks for sticking with me! You'll find the other blog hoppers HERE.

I hope you have a wonderful, sunny weekend!

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr and @scrapcollectr on Twitter!)

A peachy "smile" layout...

Hi all!

My layout was created for a Let's Get Peachy DT challenge. Gee, what was the name of the challenge? "The Power of a Smile," of course. Lol. I used the theme as my LO title and highlighted three photos of my youngest when he was 6 and just getting over strep. We were all relieved that he was back to smiling! More details can be found about this layout if you click over to the LGP blog. There will be other projects on the LGP blog with this theme all month, so keep checking in...

I hope you feel the power of a smile today!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)