It’s that time of year when school bells are ringing and yellow buses are back on the road and homework is part of the nightly routine. Mom’s are exhausted just trying to get the kids out the door and peanut butter is a staple for sack lunches. Before you sent the kids out the door for the first time, you will want to capture the first day on your camera and we have all the needed products that will help you scrapbook those school day memories! Just check out our School category!

Graphic 45  An ABC Primer Collection is shipping now! A happy-go-lucky paper collection that pays homage to the vintage schoolhouse and classic nursery rhymes of times gone by. Recall fond memories from a simpler time when learning took place in a one-room schoolhouse, and cozy afternoons were spent studying the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic. This collection includes :

An ABC Primer 12×12 Paper Pad, An ABC Primer 8×8 Paper Pad, An ABC Primer Chipboard Tags 1, An ABC Primer Chipboard Tags 2, and stamp sets in collaboration with Hampton Arts-An ABC Primer 1, An ABC Primer 2 and An ABC Primer 3.

DCWV‘s Grade School Paper Stack  and Grade School Mat Stack are perfect for younger kids, and the High School Mat Stack is stylin’ for the older ones!

QuicKutz offers a large variety of school related dies that can help you embellish pages for all of your children from Pre-School – Collage!

I no longer have young school age children but if I can give any advise, it would be to record those days as soon as possible because you don’t remember things like you think you will and you don’t get any more time once they leave! There are still only 24 hours in a day and other things will fill in that time before you know it (like grandchildren)!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I have had the opportunity to “test drive” a few of the brand new Spellbinders Edgeabilities dies and I believe that you are going to be just as pleased with these dies as the rest of your Spellbinders collections! The Edgeabilities are so versatile in that once you buy all 6 sets, you can mix and match to make over 75 different designs for your paper crafting projects! See all NEW Spellbinders Edgeabilities Video!

I  decided to use the Classic Postage Stamp Edgeabilies on my scrapbook layout with one of the decorative inserts. Each set comes with one cutting edge and two decorative inserts that are easily interchangeable because of their 1″ spacing.   It is nice that the length of the dies are 8″ even though I still had to run it through twice for cutting and twice for embossing to be able to get the whole 12 x 12page length.  It made it easier to place so that I could cut all the way across! The possibilities are endless with these dies!

The other items I used in this layout are as follows:

Graphic 45 products:

The Magic of Oz 12 x 12 paper pad

The Magic of Oz Chipboard Die-cuts 1

Spellbinders products:

Postage Stamps (2011 CHA summer release)

Donna’s Alphabet by Donna Salazar (2011 CHA summer release)

QuicKutz products:

Nesting Stars (2011 CHA summer release)

Nesting Scallop Rectangles (2011 CHA summer release)

Whirlpool Alphabet

Castle

DCWV Shimmer Mat Stack

I know that you will have a blast creating with these new dies whether you are in to scrapbooking or card making! They are also great for alternative paper crafts! Spellbinders designer Heidi Blankenship showed me how she used wool felt with the Edgeabilities at CHA! So fun! Now I have to get some of that and share the tip with you!

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

Well, here it is! The last day for Spellbinders Blog Frenzy where we are fortunate to get a sneak peak of the new dies that will be released at CHA next week! I can’t believe it is almost here! We have seen some incredible ideas from gifted designers the past eight days and we are thrilled to introduce two more today! Their projects created with the new Spellbinder dies are wonderful!

I’ll start today by introducing designer Windy Robinson. She is introducing S4-334 2011 Heirloom Ornaments and S5-071 Twisted Metal Tags and Accents ( I love these!).  Her first project is a stunning holiday place card, perfect for seating guests during holiday dining! She has also created a beautiful dimensional ornament to celebrate the season! Thanks so much for sharing Windy!

S4-334 2011 Heirloom Ornaments

S5-071 Twisted Metal Tags and Accents

To complete our Spellbinders Blog Frenzy we have very talented designer Holly Simoni! She introduces LF-006 Wonderful Wings and S5-066 Shadow Flowers with her beautiful Gated Butterfly Card and unique Framed Paper Butterfly using mixed media. These are awesome Holly!

LF-006 Wonderful Wings

S5-066 Shadow Flowers

It has been an exciting nine days! I hope that you have all enjoyed viewing the new products as much as me!  I can’t wait until CHA so we can see the rest of the new releases! I will be going to Chicago with Marcie for the first time and I am thrilled to see all of the new products coming out from all of the manufacturers! It will totally be worth my aching feet!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

We are almost to the end of the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy! Tomorrow is the last day to view the sneak peak of new dies! That means we had better savor the last two days! We want to also introduce the new Heartfelt Creations stamp sets!

First, let’s start with the fabulous new Spellbinder dies! I can’t tell you how much I adore the LF dies for the Grand Calibur Machine! Designer Lesley Langdon created her Back to School layout and Tented Pear Place Card using LF-132 Grand Rectangles, LF-133 Grand Scalloped Rectangles and S5-073 Orchard Harvest Tags & Accents (Samantha Walker Designer Collection). It’s hard to believe that fall is right around the corner! I love the Autumn colors! Great projects Leslie!

LF-132 Grand Rectangles

LF-133 Grand Scalloped Rectangles

S5-073 Orchard Harvest Tags & Accents

Designer Sherry Cheever cleverly put to use E8-004 Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilities and S4-335 Star Circles in her Wicked card and breathtaking floral card. Amazing job Sherry! I love all of the detail in these cards!

E8-004 Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilities

S4-335 Star Circles

These are fabulous projects! We are so fortunate to be able to have such great designers share their projects with us!

Now, on to Heartfelt Creations! Just this morning they introduced their Botanical Gardens Collection! There are five stamp sets in this collection that coordinate with S5-050 Rose Creations Shapeablilities and S4-328 Foliage Shapeabilities!

The following items are part of the Botanical Gardens Collection. You can click on each one to see the items!

Botanical Floral 1

Botanical Floral 2

Leaf Medley

Tropical Floral Swirls

Woodland Fern

The Botanical Garden Collection is a great addition to every floral lover’s collection of flowers!

Wow! There are a lot of new products to get excited about today! I think now is a good time to find places in my craft room, so when they arrive I can get busy playing!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

We are thrilled to continue the Spellbinders Frenzy today to give you a sneak peak of Spellbinders upcoming releases! The designers we are spotlighting today bring creativity to new heights with their chosen projects! Get ready to be inspired!

Designer Linda Duke shows us how she used S5-055 Poinsettia Creations and E8-006 Classic Petal Edgeabilities to create this elegant card and poinsettia cone. These are impressive projects Linda! The poinsettias look almost real!

S5-055 Poinsettia Creations includes four sizes of the flower with one leaf and two centers.

E8-006 Classic Petal Edgeabilities includes one cutting die and two decorative inserts.

Tina McDonald presents her projects using LF-008 Hexagon Pinwheel Top Box and S4-338 Holiday Tags. The Christmas ornaments are absolutely delightful! Great ideas to start us thinking about the holidays! Thanks Tina!

LF-008 Hexagon Pinwheel Top Box Just imagine of all the fun projects you can do with this fun die!

S4-338 Holiday Tags are great for not only gift tags, but ornaments,  jar tags and journaling tags for scrapbook layouts!

I feel really inspired now! It’s going to be difficult to wait until these dies are released, but I know we can do it! (we have to!) We still have two more days of the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy! Stay strong ladies and gents! I know that the itch for these new dies are getting to you because I’ve got the itch BAD! Until tomorrow then!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I’ve got a lot to catch up on from the weekend! We are continuing today with the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy with days 4, 5, and 6! Whew! Today’s Blog is going to be a doozie! Stay with me now, we have a lot to show you!

Day 4:

We are introducing LF-010 Square Bracket Edge Box

S5-067 Anemone Flower Topper

Designer AJ Otto created these  incredible projects using the Anemone Flower Topper and Square Bracket Edge Box ! I really love the advent calendar!So awesome! Thank you AJ!

Next we have S5-074 Retro Mod Clocks

So cool! I am so excited to use these! They may say Retro, but I’m thinking vintage! Just think of all the fun things you can do with these! Designer Gloria Stengel shows us her take on this set with the following projects! Thanks for the ideas Gloria!

Day 5 brings us S5-058 Ironwork Accents

S5-059 Ironwork Motifs

Designer Christine Emberson created this absolutely gorgeous card using the Ironwork Accents

She used the Ironwork Motifs for this beautiful altered book! Amazing! Thanks Christine!

Designer Michelle Woerner shows us how to use Classic Triple Scallop Edgeabilities and Tear Drop Circles Nestabilities on her romantic Wedding Box and Thinking About You card.  Thanks Michelle for your fantastic ideas!

E8-003 Classic Triple Scallop Edgeabilities

S4-344 Tear Drop Circles Nestabilities

On to Day 6!

We are excited to introduce more LF dies for the Grand Calibur!

LF-002 Creative Book Pages Two from Donna Salazar!

Designer Judy Hayes created a fabulous album using this die! I recommend you click on her name to see the whole book! Thanks for sharing Judy!

Last, but not least, Heidi Blankenship shows us her examples using S4-345 Picot Edge Circles and S4-351 Spiral Blossom One! You are going to go crazy over these dies! Her Friendship Rose card and rose altered candy box are very impressive! Thank you Heidi!

S4-345 Picot Edge Circles

S4-351 Spiral Blossom One

There you have it! The whole weekend wrapped up in one Blog Post! If you think that is all, think again! Login tomorrow for more Spellbinders Blog Frenzy with more artistic designers that are waiting to show you their projects using the new Spellbinder dies!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Okay! Here we go! Day three of Spellibinders Blog Frenzy and more incredible dies that are being released this month at CHA! I also have more ideas to show you from two more terrific designers! Every morning I can’t wait to check my computer to see what is new!

Today we have the inspiring ideas from Designers Tonya Dirk and Shanna Vineyard! I am so excited to blog about their designs!

Here goes!

S4-340 Create-A-Flake Three

LF-347 Grand Labels Twenty-Three

Tonya used S4-340 Create-A-Flake Three and LF-347 Grand Labels Twenty-Three for her Adorable You layout and Let it Snow hanger! The interesting thing is, she used the negative image of the Create-A-Flake Three to make flowers on her page! Great ideas! Thanks Tonya!

Shanna created her adorable layout using S4-352 Spiral Blossom Two and S5-060 Flower Pots! She also used the idea for her Framed Art! I love how she cut the Spiral Blossom to make the smallest flower! You can really do so many things with these dies if you are creative! Thank you Shanna!

S4-352 Spiral Blossom Two

S5-060 Flower Pots

These are just fabulous ideas made so easy by Spellbinders dies! Today’s spotlight dies are just too fun!

Have a great weekend and we will start again on Monday with a continuation of our Blog Frenzy!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I woke up this morning so excited to see what the feature Spellbinders dies were for today! I couldn’t wait to get to work! I know that many of you are just like me! I can hardly stand the anticipation!

So, let’s get right to it! Today we are introducing the fabulous frills of……drum roll, please!

S5-062-Lace Doily Accents

S5-063-Lace Doily Motifs

Designer Becca Feeken designed these incredibly gorgeous projects using a combination of S5-062-Lace Doily Accents and S5-063-Lace Doily Motifs! You can click on her name for the instructions on how to do these projects. Thank you for your inspiration Becca! These are amazing!

Next, we introduce E8-002 Classic Brackets! I love the fleur de lis and heart decorative inserts that fit perfectly with the bracket edge!

S4-347-Labels Twenty-Three goes beautifully with the Classic Bracket, with its bracket corners! Can Spellbinders get any better than this? I’m sure we will be finding out!

Designer Latisha Yoast shows us how she used both of these sets to make her Missing You So Much card and Moments card.  I love these! Thank you Latisha!

I think we have been truly inspired today with these projects on today’s frenzy! I know that these sets are a definite need, not a want for me! I NEED these in my craft room!!!

Be sure to login tomorrow!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

It is FINALLY time for summer CHA 2011 in Chicago, and Spellbinders Blog Frenzy has now started! This is where we get a sneak peak at some of the new items that are being launched at . We are so excited  show you these fabulous new dies! They will be launching 52 new dies in all and we think you are going to love them all.

This year Spellbinders is introducing a new product called Edgeabilities that are 8″ long! There are six sets, each containing three dies. One die to cut the edge and two coordinating decorative insert dies. You can also mix and match with other sets for a total of 75 different designs! Amazing!

Let’s get started!

We want to start with S4-346 Labels Twenty-Two! Similarly shaped to the Labels Twenty-One, it has inverted decorative corners that look like you have used a paper punch! Such a nice touch!

The new E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities is a must have for my book! I love how you can create different scallop looks! Scallops have such a soft, pretty look on anything!

Designer Debbie Olson shows us how she used both of these dies for her awesome projects!

Next we have S4-348 Postage Stamps Nestabilities which are self descriptive! You get 5 different sizes of postage stamps!

The E8-005 Classic Postage Stamp Edgeabilities coordinates beautifully with the Postage Stamps Nestabilities  as shown by designer Kimberly Crawford in her Postage Stamp card and “I love you to Space” Layout! So cute!

A big Thank You to Debbie and Kimberly for sharing their projects with us! They are wonderful! This is just a sample of what is yet to come!

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF3OYKtFYwA

We will be featuring some of the new dies over the next several days, so you won’t want to miss a single day of our Blog! We are posting these on our pre-order page, so you will want to get your orders in! They will be available for shipment sometime in August! Whoo-hoo!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Wow! I can’t believe that it is already Friday! May is speeding by super fast! Of course, with all the cool, rainy weather we have had in Utah, it doesn’t feel like spring yet! That is a good thing when it comes to waiting  for the latest items that have been released this month! I  just want to stay inside where its warm and play with the latest stamp sets from Just Rite Stampers! They are amazing as usual!

The cards below are made using the Smile Set. You receive four 2″ design centers with four extra wide borders, for a total of 3 1/4″. You will need the 3 1/4″ Wood Stamper.

This stamp set coordinates with the Spellbinders Standard Circles Large, Classic Scalloped Circles Large, Classic Scalloped Circles Small, Big Scalloped Circles Large, and Big Scalloped Circles Small Nestabilities.

DCWV Natural Mat Stack, Natural Solid Cardstock Mat Stack, Just Rite Stampers Smile Set, Spellbinders Classic Circles Large, Want2Scrap Nestabling Heart Circles BrownR. Add a flower by Petaloo and some brass embellishments!

Spellbinders Labels Sixteen, Classic Circles Large, DCWV Linen Closet Mat Stack, Linen Closet Solid Cardstock Mat Stack, 1/8″ Scor-Tape, chalk and ribbon.

Making the perfect card is so easy with stamps! What in the world did we ever do without them? I think I have blanked that out on purpose because I don’t ever want to go back to life without them!

Have a great weekend!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

BTW- Sizzix wanted us to let you know, after seeing yesterday’s BLOG, that you can also make the Soda Can Hair Bows with the Bigz Dies in the Big Shot Machine! Good to know! Thanks for the tip!

Alphabets are some of the funnest investments, and this new QuicKutz Blue Sky Alphabet is no exception! You get 78 capital letters, numbers and punctuation, which includes the shadow for each! Shadows may take a bit longer to cut out, but so worth the extra work! They really make your letter or number pop! This alphabet is approximately 2″ tall.

The new alphabets come a bit different than what we are used to with QuicKutz. They are coming in strips with a very tiny tab separating each letter instead of individual letters. The strips  seem a bit flimsy, but once you lay them on your plate they are fine. If you prefer them separate, you could easily cut the tab with tin snips, then file down the rough edge, but that is completely up to you! I am NOT saying that is what you should do! It is just an option.

I used the Blue Sky Alphabet for my son’s Army layout, but it is fantastic for sports, seasonal, or anything that you need a block letter for! I used both the letter and the shadow for this layout!

I kept the colors more muted since the Army is all about camouflage! The only other embellishment I used besides a couple of stickers was the small rope looking border that I punched with a Fiskers Border Punch.  I also used Gold Photo Corners from 3L Scrapbook Adhesives. I really had fun with this alphabet! I can’t wait to use it on more layouts!

We also just received some fun new paper packs from Lifestyle Crafts! Hello Goodbye and Sweet and Spicy will make a great addition to your paper collection, with fun patterns and colors!

Well, that is it for today! Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the new Whirlpool Alphabet!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Yippee! The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Spellbinder’s CHA releases have arrived and we are racing to get all of the Pre-Orders shipped! As soon as we have pre-orders filled we will remove them from pre-order status so the coupon can be used! Hallelujah! We are so excited! They are all so beautiful! If you have ordered on a Pre-Order, be watching your email for shipping notification and then your mail box! They are on their way!

I did this layout using the fun new Sprightly Sprockets! My nephew loves to build, and he helped his dad build this tower for his dad’s school class. Pretty cool!

I used DCWV All About Boys 12×12 Paper Stack, some Spellbinders Premium Craft Foil for my photo robot’s eyes and antennas and Boss Kut Hobby Horse Alphabet for my title! My track is just red twine wrapped twice around the sprockets using 1/8″ Scor-Tape to secure it.

These new dies are going fast! We have already been informed by Spellbinders that once the first shipment is sold out, the next shipment won’t be coming until mid April! The sooner you order, the better!

Remember, we fill orders in the order in which they arrive!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

We are so excited to have received the new Sizzix Textured Embossing Folders! We Oooed and Ahhhed over them while deciding which were our favorites! Now, I can tell you, that was hard! They are all gorgeous!

I love the embossing folders for making quick cards! You are probably starting to realize that I am all about quick! Sometimes I feel like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, always in a hurry because I might be late! Needless to say that quick works best for me! You will most likely see quick ideas from me on our BLOG because that is what I do best! (Or at least have time for)

For this card I used the damask folder from the Corners & Damask Set. I ran white card stock through my Cuttlebug Machine then ran a Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink all over the top, which helped bring out the design. The pattern strip is from Basic Grey’s Hello Luscious 6×6 Paper Pad with a strip of ribbon. I used 1″ Scor-Tape to adhere the strip and 1/2″ Scor-Tape to apply the ribbon. The tag is made from Spellbinder’s new CHA release Grommet Tags.

Using the corners folder of the Corners & Damask and both the DCWV Luxury Mat Stack and Linen Closet Solid Mat Stack, I made a quick wedding card! I finished it off with Spellbinder’s CHA Fancy Tags Two and Basic Grey’s Opaline Half Pearls!

For this next card I used a card from DCWV Latte Box of Cards and embossed the front with one of the Country & Flowering Foliage Set, the ran the card stock strip through with the other folder in the same set. I used another new CHA release, Labels Eighteen #3 die for the stamped greeting.

Last of all, I simply used two of the four folders in the Butterfly Migration Set for a simple, yet pretty “Thinking of You” card! I used a dauber to dab ink around the edges of the greeting and on the butterflies to create contrast to the rest of the card. 5 minutes tops!

I hope these give you an idea of how pretty these new Sizzix Embossing Folders are!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

I think that this will be an official Paper Blog Week for me! We just got in our shipment of the brand new My Mind’s Eye 6×6 paper pads! The Stella Rose Collection has four beautiful 6×6 double sided paper pads which are Gertie, Hattie, Hazel and Mabel. Though the names may be a bit old fashioned, the paper is fresh and vibrant! Again, I had a hard time choosing which one to focus on for my projects!

I decided to make these cards using the Gertie paper pad. On the first I also used a piece of  Hardware from Stampin’ Up and the stamp set You Inspire Me from Just Rite Stampers.

On the second, I used Spellbinder’s CHA Releases Labels Twenty (dies #1 & 5) and Creative Page Tabs (both due to arrive in March!). Of coarse, I used 1/8″ Scor-Tape to apply the ric-rac and button.

I can’t wait to use the other paper pads in this collection! They are all darling!

FYI-If you are waiting for pending orders, we appreciate your patience! We are finally receiving shipments trickling in from all of our manufacturers, as they have all been behind since CHA! We are filling orders as fast as we can!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’

Carrie