Spring is FINALLY showing its face here in Utah, and to go along with the warming weather, I wanted to share my Marianne Design butterfly card that I made to celebrate! I can never get enough butterfly dies and this one is gorgeous! I also like how big it is. It really pops on a card or layout.

I also really liked the Blossom embossing folder by Crafts Too, and it worked really well with the butterfly. I ran my A2 card through the folder first, then took my ink pad and lightly ran it over the embossed area to help it stand out.

Here all of the products I used:

LR0113- Marianne Design Creatable Die Butterfly 1

658954- Sizzix Thinlits Borders

AF146- Hero Hues Shadow Ink Soft Pool

S5-159- Spellbinders Gold  Labels Four

CTFD3048- Crafts Too Blossom

2160- Want2Scrap Mother of Pearl Rhinestones

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Everyone likes getting something in the mail box, so I made this “A Note For You” A2 card for someone I know who could use a special note. I totally love the blue and brown color combo in the Authentique Hope 6×6 paper pad, not to mention the elegant patterns!

Hope includes twenty-six doublesided sheets of reduced designs with two solids. The Hope collection is in an elegant color palette suited to the splendor of the Easter holiday printed on a special textured finish akin to the weave of an Easter basket. The feelings of renewal with a nostalgic design pattern stir up emotions of hope. Reminiscent of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and other classic icons, the patterns are also suitable for any spring celebration. The Hope collection is well-rounded and useful for all age ranges and projects. Also comes in an 8×8 paper pad and a 12×12 collection kit.

The patterns I chose gave this card a vintage look and a little inking around the edge gave it an aged feel. Perfect!

By now you should all know that I am all for fast and easy, but I want my finished product to look good, and with the right tools, that can easily be achieved!

Here are the list of tools I used to create this card in just a short time (while sick and on the phone with my traveling hubby at the same time!).

HOP012-Authentique Hope 6×6 Paper Pad

HCPC 3475-Heartfelt Creations Special Delivery (sentiment)

S5-160-Spellbinders Opulent Ovals

6079-Want2Scrap Baby Bling-Le Creme Pearls

AF214-Hero Arts Cup O’ Joe Ink Pad

I love the Hero Arts ink pads and how the image fills in while the ink dries! They are really nice to use. You can see their awesome selection HERE!

I would just like to tell all of you who call in and tell me about your latest projects, that you inspire me! You help me stay motivated and give me lots of ideas. Even though I can’t really see what you are doing, I develop a mental picture, which inspires me to create my own version! I love hearing what you are planning with the products you purchase! I hope our designers inspire you as well in our blog posts!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

If you have an event coming up that you are going to need invitations for, skip going to the store because here is a quick handmade invitation idea that you can use. Heather was asked to make the invitations for “New Beginnings” in our ward and so we had to come up with an idea that we could get done in a night so we grabbed  our vellum and printed the invite on it and then just backed it with some cute paper. The theme of the year is “Up” and so we looked in our paper stash and found this perfect balloon paper by Bo Bunny that fit the theme perfectly. We got the idea from our wedding announcement where we did the same thing but put a picture behind it. Just hole punch two holes in the top and string ribbon through them to attach the two papers. Next add bling and if you choose you can even make an envelope–we added some decor to the cover using Spellbinders filigree die cut.

This was a fun little project that heather and I cranked out in just a few hours. We have paper for really any occasion you can think of sending invitations out for so give this a try next time you have a get together you need to send invites out.

Recipe:

14216724- Bo Bunny: Surprise!

S5-177- Spellbinders: A2 Filigree Delight

CL 611-Hero Arts: Many Birthday Messages

2228- Want2Scrap: Amber Rhinestones

Velum

Ribbon

Thanks and Happy Scrapin’!

Doug and Heather

If you are an avid card maker, you will really appreciate being able to create your own envelopes with the Scor-Envi from Scor-Pal! This little gadget is awesome, and it works right along with the Scor-Pal V.3 as shown in the photo.

The Scor-Envi is designed to be used with the latest version of the Scor-Pal (inch version) and helps you to create 12 different size envelopes including the most used A2 envelope and lots of square envelopes too. A chart is printed on the tool for handy guidance. If you like to do embossed grids and diagonal scoring patterns this is the perfect tool. Envelopes and diagonal scoring is now a breeze!

Please note: this tool requires 1/4″ grooves to make the standard size envelopes, so it will only work with the latest version of the Scor-Pal NOT the earliest version.

I did some playing around and found that you can also use it with the original Scor-Pal, but you will have to make adjustments as to how you do it. I will show you how I made that compromise in the video below, however, I have since ordered myself the newer V.3 as it will be much more convenient and I will not have to think about how I can finagle the measurements. If you already have the V.3, you will still find the video helpful, but you won’t have to make any adjustments for the measurements!

This is a brilliant little invention that is very inexpensive at $6.99, and will pay for itself in no time as you can make your own custom envelopes with the paper or card stock you have on hand! Now you can finally have perfectly matching envelopes for your hand crafted cards!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Make a wish with Spellbinders Up, Up and Away. This set includes the hot air balloon that you see here but it also has a kite, balloon, flag, and a paper airplane. I love the size of the die cuts because they work great for both cards as well as full page layouts.

I started out by cutting the balloon out but because of the pattern on the paper I couldn’t see the embossed design, so I cut out three more balloons and cut parts of them out and glued them on. This is so easy to do and creates a much more interesting final product. When I put it on the background, the balloon seemed to almost disappear so I just antiqued the edges a bit to give a distinction between the foreground and the background. This is one die cut set that will stay at the front of my collection especially with children (my son likes the paper airplane). I am looking forward to trying out some of the other shapes in the set on some scrapbooking pages.

I also can’t say enough about these little paper packs, they make your life easy because you don’t need to think about color combination because every paper uses colors that really work well together. For this card I used My Minds Eye’s Life of the Party 6×6 pack. Designing couldn’t get any easier right?

Recipe:

S5-126 Spellbinders-Up, Up and Away

6×6208 My Minds Eye-Life of the Party

Glass embellishments

Colored card stock

Black ink pad

Clear Stamps

String

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug

What is the difference between Sizzix Pop N Cuts Tray vs Movers & Shapers Base Tray & Movers & Shapers XL Tray? They may seem like they would work the same, but they do not. Allow me to explain.

First of all, you can view each of the trays by clicking on each item.

657802 Pop N Cuts XL Card Horizontal A2 w Circle Label Base Tray Kit

657007 Movers & Shapers L Base Tray

654780 Movers & Shapers XL Card Horizontal A2 & Four Window Panes Kit #1 (This is the tray shown in video and photo)

Although you CAN use Movers & Shapers in the Pop N Cuts tray, the Pop N Cuts Inserts do NOT fit in the Movers and Shapers Tray. In the example below you will see the Movers & Shapers Tray on the top with the smaller opening. Do you see how much larger the Pop N Cuts opening is? It is also positioned different on the tray. This is to allow the pop up to be centered in the tray for better positioning on your card.

You CAN use both Pop N Cuts as well as Movers & Shapers in the Base Tray to make cards larger than A2 size. This is demonstrated with Pop N Cuts in the following video by Karen Burniston.

I hope this helps you better understand how the Pop N Cuts Tray can be used vs the Movers & Shapers Trays!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I thought that I would take today’s blog to spotlight one of my favorite little machines! Provo Craft Cuttlebug Machine V2!  This machine is very similar to the older version which it replaced. It has the same sleek design and works the same as the older model, however, Provo Craft says it is more durable with its stronger outer casing and metal handle. It has an easy carrying handle making it very portable.

This little guy is a worker! It is the smallest machine I have, but definitely the most used! It is very user friendly and is great to take to crops, as the design enables it to fold up and take up very little space. With buying the extended 13″ plates, there are not many things that I can’t do with it! Use it for all your card making and scrapbooking die cutting or embossing projects!

With it’s 6 inch opening, it is compatible with QuicKutz, Boss Kut, Spellbinders, and Sizzix dies and embossing folders. It is NOT compatible with Spellbinders Grand dies or Sizzix Bigz Pro dies.

Tip: Keep one B Cutting Pad dedicated as your top plate for cutting and embossing. This will help the Adaptor C and other B Cutting Pad last much longer so you are not replacing them as often! The top pad will get really warped and ugly, but don’t worry! Just keep flipping it over and over and it will become your most loved (but ugly) plate! you won’t want to be without it! It should last quite a long time, but once it breaks, you will need to replace it, so I suggest having spares on hand. You can bet that it will break late at night, right in the middle of an important project, so it is important to have one handy!

If handled properly, the A Spacer Plate should last as long as your machine, however, we do carry replacements of all the standard and extended plates JUST IN CASE!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I love when I receive goodies in the mail, don’t you? So you understand when I tell you that I was delighted to receive card samples from some of the talented designers at Sparkle N Sprinkle without knowing they were coming! I mean, one handmade card is fun, but 7 at once is way more than I get for my birthday! Wow!

All of the Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp sets that we carry have a sticky cushioned backing. All you have to do is place them on an acrylic block (sold separately) and stamp away! Sparkle N Sprinkle have partnered with Spellbinders dies and have been producing stamp sets to coordinate with many of the Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. They will continue to release new products in this vein.

I want to share them with you since I just can’t keep them for myself! I would like to thank Sparkle N Sprinkle designers Elenor Jenkins, Julie B. Warner, Donna Maligno, Shona Erlenborn and Judy Rozema for the beautiful cards! We appreciate all the work that you put into creating them!

Designer for both festive cards- Shona Erlenborn using Nesties Xmas Trees and Nesties Ornaments with coordinating Spellbinders dies 2010 Holiday Trees.

Designers Julie B. Warner and Elenor Jenkins created these beautiful cards using Thanks a Bunch, Happy Birthday and Blossoms stamp sets. Coordinating Spellibinders Dies for the Blossoms stamp set are Blossom Three and Nested Leaves.

Designers Judy Rozema and Donna Maligno used Ocean Treasures and By the Seashore. Spellbinders dies used by Judy are  Classic Ovals Large and Classic Scalloped Ovals Large.

Now you can see why I was so thrilled to open the mail that day! These are wonderful! Thank you Sparkle N Sprinkle!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I am so thrilled to introduce the Decorative Lace Border Die! It is a custom Heartfelt Creations Die manufactured by Spellbinders. This die coordinates with the Wedding Collection stamps. This die has more intricate details, so if you have a “loose” machine, you will have to cut a couple times. You will need to run it through your machine and cut once and then turn it 90 degrees and cut again.

I actually ran it 3-4 times through my Cuttlebug Machine then turned it before running it through 3-4 more times just to make sure! It is well worth the extra time it takes to cut it out! You will want to have either a QuickStik from QuicKutz, Pick Me Up from Silhouette, or pair of skinny craft tweezers to more easily poke through the holes! I love this die!

Since this is the season for weddings, I created an A2 wedding card using the Decorative Lace Border and Heartfelt Creations Bella Rose Scroll stamp set. I scored my card stock using my Scor-Pal for an accurate fold. I used 1/8″ Scor-Tape along the main lines of the die cut and ribbon to place on my card. A little chalk to add color to the roses then I used foam adhesive squares just on the top of the scroll to give the some dimension.

I don’t consider myself a designer, but I definitely have fun trying! I love playing with all of the fantastic products we carry and showing off the finished project! My family gets pretty tired of me showing them. They tell me it’s fine without even looking at it! Can you relate? I thought so! Of course I’m the mom, so I rant an rave over their stuff! I guess that is just how it goes.

I hope that you all have a great weekend! Better get lots of sleep, because we will have lots to show you next week after CHA! You may have to stay up nights just to see all the new stuff!!!!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

It has been a while since we blogged about the Provo Craft-Cuttlebug Embossing Plus Folders, however, several of you have been wondering about how to use them in your Cuttlebug Machines, so I am going to review for you! They do take a bit to get used to!

The most important thing to remember before beginning is to remove the cardboard backing by removing the two green tabs at the top! DO NOT TRY RUNNING THE FOLDER THROUGH YOUR MACHINE BEFORE DOING THIS! You could break your plates or your machine!

Once these are removed,  you can take the folder off of the backing and follow the instructions on the backing. It will tell you the sandwich formula to use for these folders. Please check your plates to make sure that you are using the proper plates!

We also have a How To Video which we hope will be helpful in using these folders! Once you get the hang of them, you are sure to have a lot of fun with them!

We will be closed Monday, July 4th for our Independence Day! Have a safe and happy 4th! We will be back on Tuesday!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I appreciate when customers email with questions concerning products that I can use on our Blog! One of our customers asked today for ideas using Spellbinders Borderabilities Dies. She also asked if she could use the 12″ Borderabilities Grand in her Cuttlebug Machine even though she did not have the Extended Cutting Mats.

Yes!  You can use the 12″  Grand Dies with standard plates if you are just needing a portion for a card or something short! Just make sure that you don’t bend the die where it is hanging over the edge!

If you do have the extended plates, you can cut the die cut to the length you need for layouts, cards, banners or other projects!

The Borderabilities  Petite generally come with 2 dies. One of the dies usually comes with only one cutting edge for a nice card border,  called an Accent Die. The Accent cuts the bottom edge and embosses the upper edge.while the other Border Die cuts and embosses on all sides for an actual border that you can place anywhere you choose!

You can also use these dies in the Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Big Shot Pro Machine, Vagabond by Tim Holtz,  QuicKutz Epic Six Tool, and of course, the Spellbinders Grand Calibur!

You can use these dies any way you want, the idea is to PLAY! That is the whole idea in creativity! See how many ways you can use them! Let the kids use the dies to decorate soup can pencil holders for their teachers, or for their homework binders to dress them up for school! That will keep them busy during the hot summer afternoons when they “are bored” because it is to hot to go outside!

Okay ladies and gents, I finally had a chance to play with the new Heartfelt Creations Wedding Collection Stamp Sets! I just can’t get over the incredible detail that their artists put into them! They are so beautiful! These cling stamps are so easy to use with any acrylic block!

I am a bit behind in scrapbooking my daughter’s wedding, so I took the opportunity to use these gorgeous stamps to create a layout of her wedding day! I used Bella Rose Wedding, Wedding Sentiments and Bella Rose Heart. I cut the scalloped piece from the DCWV Linen Closet Paper Stack using my Sizzix Big Shot Pro Machine and the Bigz Pro Die Square Scallop.  The background piece is from DCWV Shimmer Paper Stack. To complete the ensemble, I used K & Company stickers, Want2Scrap Silver Baby Bling, heart rhinestones, paper doilies and a heart corner punch.

Now I can’t wait to use the other sets in the Wedding Collection! These really make fabulous embellishments for layouts as well as amazing bridal or wedding cards! Now is the perfect time to get yours, as summertime is the busiest time for weddings!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Our newest little 6 x 6 Paper Pads from Basic Grey have arrived! We would like to introduce Oxford and Out of Print to our store! We are so excited to show them to you! I know that you card makers will oogle over them! You will want to include them in your Paper Pad family!

Oxford is one you all you smarty-pants can dive into and elevate your I.Q. This collection contains eighteen double sided papers, 36 total, in a 6×6 paper pad on 65# paper. The papers included are: Ivy League, Spring Formal, Frat House, Rowing, Sorority, Midterm, Fencing, Honor Roll, Lettermans Jacket, Alma Mater, Lacrosse, Deans List, Magna Cum Laude, Finishing School, Study Hall, University, Preppy Plaid and Debate Team.

Out of Print will surely stop the presses! Your favorite line is “write” this way. This collection contains eighteen doublesided papers, 36 total, in a 6×6 paper pad on 65# paper. The papers included are: reprint, etchings, second edition, gliclee, newsflash, storyteller, Bits n Pieces, Headline, Mish Mash, Publication, Tribune, Classofied, Odds n Ends, Daily News, Impasto, Special Feature, Lithograph and Batik.

We also want to wish all the Dad’s out there a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday!

Have a great weekend!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Sometimes I feel guilty that I have so much stuff that I don’t use! Yet I keep purchasing more! Its just that the manufacturers keep coming up with such great products! Yesterday I told you about the new Cuttlebug Embossing Folders from Provo Craft, so I took the Rebecca home with me last night to play with! Love it! I also used stamps from the new Heartfelt Creations Bella Rose Collection!

By the time I got home from work, my frantic weekend traveling to and from San Francisco (almost 24 total hours in the truck in less than 48 hours)  had caught up with me! I had zero energy and just as much brain power, but I was determined to get something done to show you today! Here is the result of my exhausted efforts!

I stamped the Bella Rose Vintage Background on tan card stock, colored the flowers and leaves with colored pencil (I really need to invest in some Copic Markers!), then ran a piece of vellum in the Rebecca Embossing Folder through my Cuttlebug Machine for the cover of the card. I then stamped the rose on the vellum, using brown ink, with one of the Bold Bella Rose stamps (so beautiful!). I used vellum tape to adhere the vellum to the card so you can’t see any tape lines. I added a ribbon bow and went to bed! LOL!

I had to look at it again this morning to actually make the decision on whether it turned out good enough to show you! I couldn’t tell last night, but I am actually happy with the results! I really like using embossing folders with vellum because it naturally highlights the embossed lines to give it more depth.

Hopefully, I will be awake for my next project! It is amazing what a good night’s  sleep can do for you!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

The Heartfelt Creations Wedding Collection features 7 new PreCut Sets and a new exclusive Heartfelt Creations die, manufactured by Spellbinders. With this collection, you will achieve lovely cards for all the weddings you will be attending this summer.

You are not  limited to just wedding, you can create sweetheart, friend, and all occasion cards, especially with the new Vintage Lace die and stamp in this collection, the sky’s the limit! Can you just imagine wedding or prom layouts using these stamps? Incredible!

We are delighted that some of the images in this collection coordinate with the recently released Bella Rose Die, adding even more value to a die you might own already. Be sure to read the More Details on each set for information on coordinating Spellbinder dies!

Just in case you are wondering why you can’t find the above mentioned Vintage Lace die, (even though it is an exclusive for Heartfelt) it is not shown at this time because it is part of Spellbinders back orders!  As soon as it becomes available to us, we will put it on the website! That is a promise!

You will not be disappointed with these intricate, elegant stamp sets! They will be available to ship next week!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie